Episode 102- Modern-day 'Dr. Doolittle’ Élodie Briefer Aims to Understand Animals

Dr. Élodie F. Briefer, PhD

Assoc. Prof. of Ecology & Evolution & Principal Investigator of the Behavioral Ecology Group of the University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet)

Do you wish that you could understand your dog or your cat? Dr. Élodie F. Briefer PhD. is out to find out what the animals are saying to each other and us. Dr. Briefer is an associate professor of Ecology and Evolution as well as the principal investigator of the Behavioral Ecology Group of the University of Copenhagen (Københavns Universitet). A modern-day ‘Dr. Doolittle’, Dr. Briefer’s primary research interests are cognition and vocal communication in mammals and birds. The main aims of her research are understanding how animals use vocal signals to encode information about their identity (e.g. species, group, individual identity), their quality (e.g. body size, dominance status, age) and their affective states (emotions, mood), as well as the impact of such information on conspecifics. The ultimate goal of this research is to be able to create a universal translator that would allow humans to truly communicate with our animal brethren. You can learn more about Dr. Briefer and her group’s research on the Behavioral Ecology Group and on Dr. Briefer’s Twitter @elodiebriefer .