Postdoctoral fellow

Department of Behavioural & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna

I am an early-career researcher with a passion for avian ecophysiology and behavioural ecology. My PhD research focused on better understanding the role of avian gastrointestinal hormones, in particular the hormone ghrelin, during naturally occurring fasting states, such as migratory flight in passerines, the moult fast of penguins, and chick development in seabirds. In addition, I am interested in birds’ physiological adaptations to migration and in bird–plant interactions during spring migration.

My current research focuses on the possible involvement of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in mate choice in king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), and on whether there is MHC-disassortative mating in this species.

julia.slezacek@univie.ac.at

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