October 26-28

This year’s workshop was organized under the administration and supervision of the Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition and in cooperation with the PhD program Behavior and Cognition. In cooperation, both institutions promote interdisciplinary dialogues on the evolution of social behaviour in humans and non-human primates, as well as the psychological and physiological foundations of behaviour. The retreat ties in with successful and productive workshops in recent years. As before, the meeting took place at the foundation Akademie Waldschlösschen, and encompassed a period of three days (26.-28.10.2015). Established in 1981, the Waldschlösschen is located in the hilly woodlands, 13 km south-east of Göttingen and acknowledged by the state of Lower Saxony as a centre for education.

Within the interdisciplinary scope of this workshop, PhD students from various research fields were invited and participated successfully in a dynamic and interesting exchange of ideas regarding their PhD projects. The workshop provided the opportunity to present their research for a broader audience from different disciplines, and stimulate further discussions among the participants. Overall, we  were pleased to welcome  15 PhD students and the presented talks covered topics from the fields of social behaviour and cognition to neuroscience and ecology. As a means to broaden the scientific platform and perspectives of the participants, we invited four guest-speakers from various scientific or work fields to give insights into their current research and contribute to the subsequent discussions. We were delighted to welcome Angelika Thielsch (Georg-August-University Göttingen, Section for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education), Dieter Lukas (University of Cambridge, Department of Zoology), Philipp Kanske (Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig, Department of Social Neuroscience), and Holger Sennhenn-Reulen (Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition).

Despite its primary purpose of promoting interdisciplinary dialogue among the students, the workshop simultaneously offered a great opportunity to engage in social activities to build networks beyond the own department, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Waldschlösschen.