Julia Kunz

How is it that sexual coercion is so widespread in animal and human societies? And more specifically, what cultural and biological factors are associated with its occurrence? These questions form the basis of my current research projects. I am an evolutionary biologist with a background in anthropology, primatology (field) and behavioral endocrinology - my main interests lie largely in socio-ecology and sexual selection. Using observational (behavioral), genetic, endocrinological, and comparative methods, I study how the reproductive strategies of males and females interact and when their interests may align or conflict.

As an enthusiastic fieldworker, I worked on the social behavior of wild orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra for my Master's degree (play behavior) and for my PhD (male-female relationships) in Indonesia. More recently, I have studied wild western lowland gorillas in the Congo Basin, and am investigating chacma baboons for the current project. My research is interdisciplinary, as I not only use different approaches within the field of evolutionary biology, but I strive to collaborate with other disciplines, including social sciences and conservation initiatives. I see the exchange between different fields of research as enriching and crucial to developing hypotheses to advance our understanding of primate evolution, and to illuminate the mechanisms behind certain environmental and societal issues.