Dr Sasha Dall in the aviary with a zebra finch
Dr Sasha Dall
Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Ecology
Profile
The primary aim of my research is to explore how animals cope with the unexpected opportunities and dangers they face in their day-to-day lives. To this end, I study how animals collect and provide information to reduce uncertainty about significant events, or how they insure against it, along with evolutionary and ecological consequences of such risk management. Research in my group ranges from the development of explicit theoretical (mathematical and computational) models, through work on captive birds in aviaries (zebra finches, starlings) to work in the field with birds (pied flycatchers, barn swallows, red grouse, European shags, chestnut-crowned babblers) and mammals (badgers, lions, wolves, grey squirrels). I am a member of the Behaviour research group. I am also the Secretary of the Media & Policy Committee of the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Our work in the news: We show that male zebra finch song rate may give strange females a false impression of the male‘s condition but his partner cannot be fooled in this way; Covered by The Conversation, France 24, TV5 Monde and in a Science Update Radio (AAS) podcast. We show for the first time that the non-sexual "personalities" of both males and females can influence mate choice in non-humans (zebra finches); Covered by The Telegraph, Metro and Australian Geographic. In zebra finch families, personality matters - couples with similar habits make better parents, regardless of genetic make-up; Covered by BBC Wildlife and NERC PlanetEarth. Blindly copying what your parents did – no matter how stupid it may seem – could be the best strategy for the long-term success of your genes; Covered by ScienceDaily. Males show more pronounced personalities than females in a wide range of species; Covered by Marie Claire, NERC PlanetEarth and the Daily Mail. Evolutionary feedback between social information use and individual variation drives cooperative personalities; Covered by NERC Planet Earth. Game theory predicts the bizarre behaviour of a group of ravens; Covered by CNN, Discover Magazine, Audubon Magazine and Breitbart.
Be sure to follow our very own Caitlin Kight‘s thoughts on the latest science via her Anthrophysis blog, or her weekly local radio show "Wild Side" (Wednesdays 1-2pm BST).
Qualifications
1991 BSc (Bristol)
1996 PhD (Bristol)
Career
2010-now Senior Lecturer in Mathematical Ecology, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter
2005-2009 Lecturer in Mathematical Ecology, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter
2000-2004 Research Associate (NERC, UK), Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK
1998-1999 Research Fellow (The Royal Society, UK), Mitrani Center for Desert Ecology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel
1997-1998 Research Fellow (NSF, USA), Department of Mathematics, Florida State University, USA
1996-1997 Temporary Lecturer in Behavioural Ecology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol UK
Links
Contact details
| Tel | +44 (0) 1326 371860 |
|---|---|
| Fax | +44 (0) 1326 371829 |
| Building | Daphne du Maurier |
| Address | Daphne du Maurier Centre for Ecology and Conservation College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus TR10 9EZ UK |
