Vincent Janik is a Professor of Marine Biology and Director of the Scottish Oceans Institute at the University of St Andrews. His research focuses on cognition and communication in marine mammals and how anthropogenic noise affects these animals. Janik led numerous marine field expeditions and serves regularly on governmental and non-governmental advisory boards in his field. He teaches students at all levels in marine mammalogy, bioacoustics and animal behaviour.
Ximena Nelson specialises in animal behaviour, animal cognition, sensory ecology, and neuroethology. Her research examines how animals perceive, process, and act on information, with a particular focus on kea parrots and jumping spiders, two systems that illuminate the evolution of intelligence, decision‑making, and sensory‑driven behaviour. Her research has been featured in major scientific outlets and international media.
Relevant publications:
Grabham AA, Mill MM, Florent SN, Eriksen M, Prokshina A, Hill J, Thompson D, Taylor AH,
Nelson XJ 2026. A disabled kea parrot is the alpha male of his circus. Current Biology. In Press. Nelson XJ, Taylor AH, Cartmill EA, Lynn H, Robinson LM, Janik V, Allen C 2023. Joyful by nature: Approaches to investigate the evolution and function of joy in non-human animals. Biological Reviews 98, 1548–1563. doi:10.1111/brv.12965.
Alex Taylor works across the fields of comparative psychology, behavioural neuroscience, evolutionary biology, animal behaviour, and animal welfare. The key focus of his research is the development of experimental methodologies and theoretical frameworks that increase the strength of the inferences we can make about the cognitive processes of animals.
Relevant publications: ·
Nelson XJ, Taylor AH, Cartmill, EA, Lyn H, Robinson LM, Janik V & Allen C (2023) Joyful by nature: approaches to investigate the evolution and function of joy in non-human animals. Biological Reviews 98(5), 1548-1563. IF 14.4
· Taylor AH, Bastos APM, Brown R, & Allen C (2022) The signature-testing approach to mapping biological and artificial intelligences Trends in Cognitive Sciences 26(9), 738-750. IF 21.8
