Laure Cauchard, Ph.D
I am a Cognitive Ecologist interested in the origins and evolutionary consequences of individual variation in cognition in wild animals (but not only!). I like to use a diversity of fields and approaches (thanks to a wonderful team of collaborators!) to reach deeper understanding of the evolutionary processes involved. Environmental changes due to anthropogenic activities are rapidly altering wild species habitats, and determining which traits increase survival/reproduction, and how they do so, is critical to better understand the evolution of cognition.
My path took me to birds, their incredible diversity as well as their amazing strategies to adjust to their environment, make them a perfect study model. As much as I love birds, I am excited to investigate these questions in other animals as well!
I believe that diversity, inclusivity & equity are important for good Science, as much as open-mindedness, honesty and kindness. If you share these values too, feel free to contact me for any question/request. I would be delighted to meet you.
Current position: Postdoctoral Researcher at the Evolutionary Ecology Lab, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station (SETE), Moulis, France
news
| Mar 9, 2026 | Our new preprint is out: Long-lasting negative effects of poor early life conditions on cognitive performance in adulthood in a wild bird. Over 10 years of study and 348  were needed to show that nestlings in poorer condition were less likely to become solvers and more prone to making errors when solving problems. To have a  : https://doi.org/10.32942/X2K37K |
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| Mar 1, 2026 | Updated book chapter  about Social information use is out  By J. Morand-Ferron, L. Cauchard, S.R.X. Dall, S.M. Reader and B. Doligez. To be published in the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior (3rd Edition) : https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-443-29068-8.00220-8 |
| Feb 1, 2025 | New collaborative paper by Joe Woodman, published in Ecology letters 👏 Continent-Wide Drivers of Spatial Synchrony in Breeding Demographic Structure Across Wild Great Tit Populations : https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/ele.70079 |
| Sep 1, 2024 | I started my new postdoc position at the Evolutionary Ecology Lab with Dr. Alexis Chaine from the Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station (SETE) Together, we will work on birds  , cognition  , parental care 🐣 and environmental change 🏔️ SETE website here: https://sete-moulis-cnrs.fr/en/ |
| Apr 27, 2024 | Our participation to the Science is Wonderful event in Brussels was a success All about this wonderful annual science fair organised by the European Commission |