Favourite field: Behavioural ecology
Main motivator: Curiosity
Preferred technique: Experiments
Equally enjoy: Systematic reviews

I have always been interested in finding out how much animals can surprise us with their abilities.

• In my earlier work, I showed that female zebra finches can adjust the primary sex ratio of their offspring in response to environmentally induced changes in their condition — a finding that challenges the paradigm of random meiotic segregation.
• Now I study how smart they are — specifically, how temperature variability and physical activity shape learning and memory in zebra finches. I'm particularly interested in the mechanisms linking physiology and cognition, and I hope my findings will be relevant in the context of a changing climate and an ageing society.
• I develop ways of teaching systematic reviews using board games instead of scientific publications, an approach I believe strengthens STEM competencies and fosters positive attitudes towards Open Science among young people.

The model species used in my research is Australia's supermodel: the zebra finch (Taeniopygia castanotis). My population of this bird species was established in 2000 and is the only one of its kind in Central Europe.