Rose Thorogood

Associate PROFESSOR of BEHAVIOURAL ECOLOGY, University of Helsinki

My research uses information ecology theory to better understand coevolution: I look at how variation in the way information is acquired and used influences the evolutionary outcomes of species interactions. Recent projects include exploring how social information use by predators facilitates the evolution of prey defences (e.g. Thorogood et al. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 2018) and continuing my work on interactions between brood parasitic cuckoos and their hosts (e.g. Thorogood & Davies, Science, 2012) by using a recent range expansion of reed warblers to test the importance of social information for plasticity. I also have a long-term project with hihi, a bird that I have worked with since 2002 (e.g. Thorogood et al. NZ J Ecology, 2013) where we are now testing how ‘social resilience’ might enhance conservation outcomes. 

Click here for my publications and here for my University of Helsinki pages.

Nora Bergman

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER (2022 - )

My PhD combines genomic and behavioural methods to study the drivers and consequences of range expansions. I am particularly interested in explaining how large-scale changes in nature are ultimately the result of characteristics, experiences, and decisions of individuals. Do certain behaviours facilitate the colonisation of new areas, and for how long do they persist after the initial establishment? Can a high dispersal capability help even philopatric species to maintain genetic diversity during rapid range shifts? To answer these questions, I study local and range-wide patterns of genomic and behavioural variation in the common reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), which has recently experienced a rapid northward range shift in response to environmental change.

Nora is funded by the Doctoral Programme of Wildlife Biology (LUOVA).

Deryk Tolman

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER (2021 - )

I am an evolutionary/behavioural ecologist interested in species interactions. For my PhD, I am studying how reed warblers use social information to defend themselves in their arms race against brood parasitic cuckoos. I particularly want to understand how and why host defences vary geographically, and what consequences this could have for their coevolutionary trajectories.

I love testing theory using field experiments, though I occasionally work with fish in a lab setting. I have previously worked on other brood parasites, including cowbirds and cuckoo catfish, and other coevolutionary relationships such as mussels and their pathogens.

Deryk is employed through the Academy of Finland project grant INFORMED MOVEMENT.

Gloria Murari

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER (2024 - )

I am a behavioral ecologist in the Informed Birds Group, investigating how sexual conflict over care is resolved. I work on a wild population of pied flycatchers breeding in the forests of Evo, collecting data on pairs’ coordination in different parental tasks and how it improves the chicks’ physical wellbeing. I am funded by the Doctoral Programme of Wildlife Biology (LUOVA). 

Follow me on Bluesky @gloriamurari.bsky.social

Malin Klumpp

DOCTORAL RESEARCHER (2026 - )

Work in progress…

Follow me on Bluesky @malinklumpp.bsky.social

Previous team members

PhDs and Postdocs

Will Smith (postdoc, University of Helsinki 2023-25): Will applied his knowledge of population genomics gained from a DPhil at the University of Oxford on rock doves and feral pigeons to the study of genomic signals of brood parasitism in reed warblers at the University of Helsinki. He has moved on to become a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham.

Michał Jezierski (postdoc, University of Helsinki 2024) Investigated cuckoos’ coexistence with their hosts, and the manner in which these interactions affect their distributions. He has moved on to become a Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham.

Katja Rönkä (postdoc and Academy of Finland Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Helsinki, 2018-2025): Katja helped establish our field system in Finland and introduced population genomics into our toolkit. She has moved on to become a University Researcher supporting Johanna Mappes’ group at the University of Helsinki.

Purabi Deshpande (PhD, University of Helsinki, 2023): Purabi investigated how urbanisation and climate change are shaping bird populations and plant interactions. She moved to a postdoc at University of Turku, Helsinki, Finland.

Edward Kluen (postdoc, University of Helsinki, 2018-2023): Ed brought his knowledge of animal personality, reed beds, and everything a proper birder should know to our group. Moved into in environmental consultancy.

Caitlin Andrews (PhD, University of Cambridge 2021): Caitlin studied individual foraging behaviour in hihi and applied this to their conservation (co-supervised by John Ewen, IOZ). She moved to a postdoc at Tufts University, USA.

Liisa Hämäläinen (PhD, University of Cambridge 2019): Liisa explored why there is variation in social information use both within species and across communities, and whether this can help us understand variation in prey defences. Liisa moved to a postdoc with Marie Herberstein at Macquarie University, Sydney Australia and is now a Finnish Cultural Foundation postdoc at the University of Jyväskylä.

Victoria Franks (PhD, University of Cambridge 2018; postdoc University of Cambridge 2019): Vix studied how and why juvenile groups form in hihi and how social behaviour influences success of translocations (co-supervised by John Ewen, IOZ). Vix is now a lecturer at Manchester Salford University, UK.

James Westrip (Post-doc, University of Cambridge 2016): now at BirdLife International

Kirsty Macleod (Post-doc, University of Cambridge 2014-2016): used hihi datasets to explore how carotenoids in the environment influence hatching asynchrony and sex ratios, and helped to set up the Science Cafe (a popular recurring feature of the Cambridge Science Festival). She became a Marie Skłodowska Curie fellow (Lund University, Sweden & Simon Fraser University, Canada) working on stress and maternal effects in lizards and is now a lecturer at Bangor University, Wales UK.

Jessica van der Wal  (MSc, University of Wageningen 2012; Post-doc, University of Helsinki & University of Cambridge 2018): Jes collected our first data on hihi social networks for her MSc thesis, went on to complete a PhD thesis at the University of St Andrews studying New Caledonian crows, before coming back to work with us on social networks among behavioural ecologists. Jes moved to a postdoc with Claire Spottiswoode at the FitzPatrick Institute of Ornithology, University of Cape Town.

Thesis project students

Aum Prabhune (MSc, University of Helsinki 2025-26)

Julio Fernández Molina (BSc, University of Madrid 2025)

Malin Klumpp (MSc, Lund University 2024-25)

Pilvi Eronen (MSc, University of Helsinki 2024-25)

Vilma Palomäki (MSc, University of Helsinki 2024-25)

Jules Mourgues (MSc, University of Lyon 2024)

Esmeralda Villon (MSc, University of Helsinki 2023-24)

Sil de Bruin (MSc, Wageningen University 2023-24)

Zalihe Kourtoural (MSc, Wageningen University 2023-24)

Lucie Michel (MSc, Universite de Paris Saclay 2023)

Ari Kaukiainen (MSc, University of Helsinki 2023-24)

Ronja Saarinen (MSc, University of Helsinki 2022-23)

Rafael Morales (MSc, University of Madrid 2022)

Juho Jolkkonen (MSc, University of Jyväskylä 2021)

Sarella Arkkila (MSc, University of Helsinki 2021-22)

Anna Välkki (MSc, University of Helsinki 2020-21)

Lena Porzelt (MSc, University of Kiel 2019-20)

Giovanna Villani (MSc, University of Helsinki 2018-2020)

Adriana Luna (MSc thesis project, University of Madrid 2019-20)

Maaike Griffioen (MSc, University of Wageningen 2014) : became a PhD student at University of Antwerp, studying coordination and cooperation in parental care.

Pang Bowen (BSc thesis project, Wuhan University 2019)

Gemma Shaw (Undergraduate research project & additional data collection, University of Cambridge 2016 & 2017)

Alicia Winthrop (Undergraduate research project & additional data collection, University of Cambridge 2015 & 2017)

Martha Stokes (Undergraduate research project, University of Cambridge 2013)

Megan Wilson (Undergraduate research project, University of Cambridge 2013)

Internships and visiting students

Dexter Whipp (TET High School internship 2025)

Peetri Joki (summer internship, University of Helsinki 2025)

Elena De Miguel Martínez (MSc Erasmus internship, Stockholm University 2025)

Violette Vrielynck (MSc Erasmus internship, Université catholique de Louvain 2025)

Ece Acundatek (MSc HiLIFE internship programme, University of Helsinki 2024; research assistant 2025)

Olli Lilja (BSc internship, University of Helsinki 2023)

Jonna Heino (BSc internship, University of Helsinki 2023)

Ilona Koskela (BSc internship, University of Helsinki 2022)

Lukas Wolffram (Universität Konstanz, Germany 2023)

Sarella Arkkila (HiLIFE internship programme, University of Helsinki)

Linnea Kivela (summer internship, University of Helsinki 2019)

Mathilde Baudat (summer internship, University of Helsinki 2018)

Francois Lazarus (summer internship, University of Helsinki 2018)

Felicitas Pamatat (summer internship, University of Bielefeld 2017)

Marie Froehly (summer internship, Université de Strasbourg 2017)

Last but absolutely not least, our wonderful field assistants

Juho Jolkkonen, Anna Tuominen, Julius Mäkinen, Ari Turula, Ossian Witting, Pietro di Bari (Sicily)