Liza Rose Moscovice, Ph.D.
Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN)
Working group Psychophysiology
Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2
18196 Dummerstorf
Working group Psychophysiology
Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2
18196 Dummerstorf
Research interests
I use a psychobiological framework to investigate the underlying mechanisms and adaptive function of social relationships and prosociality in animal models, ranging from primates to pigs. My research investigates why individuals vary in their propensities to affiliate and cooperate with others and how this variation influences their fitness. This work has broader implications for understanding the evolution of cooperation and the mechanisms by which social support provides health benefits.
Main research topics:
- Comparative models of prosociality and empathy in farm animals
- Understanding the link between social relationships, stress and health outcomes
- Investigating hormonal underpinnings of social relationships and cooperation
Curriculum Vitae
- since 2019: Research Scientist, Institute of Behavioural Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Germany
- 2016-2018: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Anthropology Department, Emory University, USA
- 2011-2016: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
- 2009-2011: Visiting Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Binghamton University, USA
- 2006-2009: Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania, USA
- 1999-2006: PhD, Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
- 1997-1999: Lab technician, Neurology Department, University of Minnesota, USA
- 1993-1997: BA, Neuroscience, Oberlin College, USA
Publications
Petrzelkova, K. J.; Hasegawa, H.; Appleton, C. C.; Huffman, M. A.; Archer, C. E.; Moscovice, L. R.; Mapua, M. I.; Singh, J.; Kaur, T. (2010):
Gastrointestinal Parasites of the Chimpanzee Population Introduced onto Rubondo Island National Park, Tanzania. Am. J. Primatol. 72: 307-316
Silk, J. B.; Beehner, J. C.; Bergman, T. J.; Crockford, C.; Engh, A. L.; Moscovice, L. R.; Wittig, R. M.; Seyfarth, R. M.; Cheney, D. L. (2010):
Female chacma baboons form strong, equitable, and enduring social bonds. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 64: 1733-1747
Silk, J. B.; Beehner, J. C.; Bergman, T. J.; Crockford, C.; Engh, A. L.; Moscovice, L. R.; Wittig, R. M.; Seyfarth, R. M.; Cheney, D. L. (2010):
Strong and Consistent Social Bonds Enhance the Longevity of Female Baboons. Curr. Biol. 20: 1359-1361
Moscovice, L. R.; Heesen, M.; Di Fiore, A.; Seyfarth, R. M.; Cheney, D. L. (2009):
Paternity alone does not predict long-term investment in juveniles by male baboons. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 63: 1471-1482
Silk, J. B.; Beehner, J. C.; Bergman, T. J.; Crockford, C.; Engh, A. L.; Moscovice, L. R.; Wittig, R. M.; Seyfarth, R. M.; Cheney, D. L. (2009):
The benefits of social capital: close social bonds among female baboons enhance offspring survival. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences 276: 3099-3104
Moscovice, L. R.; Issa, M. H.; Petrzelkova, K. J.; Keuler, N. S.; Snowdon, C. T.; Huffman, M. A. (2007):
Fruit availability, chimpanzee diet, and grouping patterns on Rubondo Island, Tanzania. Am. J. Primatol. 69: 487-502
Moscovice, L. R.; Snowdon, C. T. (2006):
The role of social context and individual experience in novel task acquisition in cottontop tamarins, Saguinus oedipus. Anim. Behav. 71: 933-943
Petrzelkova, K. J.; Hasegawa, H.; Moscovice, L. R.; Kaur, T.; Issa, M.; Huffman, M. A. (2006):
Parasitic nematodes in the chimpanzee population on Rubondo Island, Tanzania. Int. J. Primatol. 27: 767-777
Hasegawa, H.; Ikeda, Y.; Fujisaki, A.; Moscovice, L. R.; Petrzelkova, K. J.; Kaur, T.; Huffman, M. A. (2005):
Morphology of chimpanzee pinworms, Enterobius (Enterobius) anthropopitheci (Gedoelst, 1916) (Nematoda : Oxyuridae), collected from chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes, on Rubondio Island, Tanzania. J. Parasitol. 91: 1314-1317