Offre de thèse

Etude Comparative de la Cognition épisodique chez les céphalopodes
et les primates non-humains (CoCoé)

 

Etablissement : Université de Caen Normandie
Type de financement : Contrat doctoral établissement
Co-Direction de thèse :
- JOZET-ALVES Christelle (christelle.alves@unicaen.fr)
- LEMASSON Alban (alban.lemasson@univ-rennes.fr)
Unité de Recherche : Centre d’Etude en Ethologie et Cognition (ex- UMR EthoS) UMR 6552 CNRS
(https://ceec.univ-rennes.fr/)
 

Localisation de la thèse :
La thèse se déroulera sur deux sites géographiques différents :
- Luc-sur-mer (Station marine Université de Caen) : céphalopodes (Année 1)
- Paimpont (Station biologique de l’Université de Rennes) : mangabeys (Année 2)
L’année 3 aura lieu sur l’un des deux sites en fonction de l’avancée des expérimentations.
 

Missions :
Des missions seront prévues au cours de la thèse au Japon : chimpanzés
Résumé du projet :
Se souvenir des évènements de notre passé est une aptitude (mémoire épisodique) longtemps considérée comme une caractéristique de l’espèce humaine. Elle est associée à la mémoire de la source qui nous permet de différencier des évènements de notre passé qui ont des caractéristiques communes. La cognition épisodique inclut à la fois la capacité à se souvenir de son passé, mais également celle qui permet d’imaginer son futur.
La cognition épisodique a été étudiée chez un nombre limité d’espèces : essentiellement les corvidés, les grands singes et plus récemment les céphalopodes. Il reste toutefois difficile de savoir ce qui a conduit à l’émergence de ces capacités cognitives : existent-elles chez tous les primates non-humains car l’organisation de leur cerveau est très proche de la nôtre, ou seulement chez les espèces de primates soumises à des pressions évolutives particulières (sociales et/ou écologiques) ? La capacité à se remémorer son passé est-elle indissociable de la capacité à imaginer son futur ? C’est en réalisant des études comparatives chez des espèces proches ou très éloignées de l’espèce humaine que l’origine de ces capacités cognitives complexes sera mieux comprise.
Ce projet de thèse vise à évaluer différents aspects de la cognition épisodique (mémoire de type épisodique, mémoire de la source, planification future) chez deux espèces de primates qui diffèrent en termes d’organisation sociale (le mangabey à collier Cercocebus torquatus et le chimpanzé Pan troglodytes) et chez un mollusque céphalopode, la seiche commune Sepia officinalis.
L’étude des points communs et des différences entre les différentes espèces de primates, et entre les primates et les céphalopodes, permettra de mieux comprendre les pressions de sélection ayant conduit à l’émergence de ces capacités cognitives complexes, et d’en déterminer les prérequis neuronaux.
Mots-clef : céphalopodes, primates, cognition comparée, mémoire épisodique, planification du futur.

Project summary:
Episodic memory is the ability to remember events from our own past. It has long been considered a characteristic of the human species. Source memory is closely linked to episodic memory, as it enables us to differentiate between our memories. Episodic cognition includes mental time travels through our own past (episodic memory - remembering) and our possible future (imagining the future). These cognitive abilities have been studied in a limited number of species: including corvids, apes and, more recently cephalopod molluscs. It remains to be determined the factors which have led to the emergence of these cognitive abilities: are they observed in non-human primates because their brain organization is very similar to ours? Have these abilities emerged only in non-human primates living under particular social and environmental pressures? Is the ability to remember the past always associated to the ability to imagine the future? And what about invertebrates, whose brains are completely different both in terms of origin and organisation? Comparative studies in species closely related or distantly-related to humans will help us to better understand the evolutionary pressures (social and/or ecological) at the origin of these complex cognitive abilities.
This PhD project aims to carry out a comparative study of episodic cognition (episodic-like memory, source memory, future planning) between two non-human primate species, the red-capped mangabey (Cercocebus torquatus) and chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) and a cephalopod mollusc, the common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis).
This project will add data on the similarities and differences among primates, and between primates and cephalopods’ episodic cognition. This will enable us to better understand the selective pressures that have led to the emergence of these complex cognitive abilities, and to determine the neural prerequisites for such abilities.
Keywords: cephalopods, primates, comparative cognition, episodic memory, future planning.

Profil attendu :
- Master en Neurosciences ou en Sciences des comportements
- Connaissances solides dans le domaine de la cognition animale, et si possible dans le domaine de la
cognition comparée,
- Maîtrise du traitement statistique des données,
- Très bonnes capacités rédactionnelles en anglais,
- Sérieux/sérieuse, motivé(e), et impliqué(e)

Profile and skills required:
- Educational Level: Master in Neuroscience, or in Behavioural sciences,
- Skilled in the field of animal cognition, and in the field of comparative cognition,
- Proficient in statistical analysis and English writing,
- Serious, motivated and highly committed student
 

Bibliographie : *Publications issues de l’unité de recherche porteuse de ce projet (CEEC, ex- Ethos)
1 Tulving (1972) Organization of memory. London: Academic Press 381(e402):4.
2 Clayton et al. (2003) Can animals recall the past and plan for the future? Nature Reviews 4:685-691.
3 Johnson et al. (1993) Source monitoring. Psychological Bulletin 114(1) :3.
4 Humphreys et al. (2003) What you get out of memory depends on the question you ask. Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition 29:797-812.
5 Schwartz & Beran, eds (2022). Primate Cognitive Studies. Cambridge University Press.
6 MacLean et al. (2012) How does cognition evolve? Phylogenetic comparative psychology. Animal
Cognition 15:223-238.
7 Basile, Hampton (2017) Dissociation of item vs source memory in rhesus monkeys. Cognition
166:398-406.
8 Osvath (2009) Spontaneous planning for future stone throwing by a male chimpanzee. Current
biology, 19(5), R190-R191.
9 Jozet-Alves et al. (2013) Evidence of episodic-like memory in cuttlefish. Current Biology 23:R1033-
R1035.*
10 Schnell et al. (2021). Episodic-like memory is preserved with age in cuttlefish. Proceedings of the
Royal Society B, 288(1957), 20211052.*
11 Billard et al. (2020) Cuttlefish retrieve whether they smelt or saw a previously encountered item.
Scientific Report 10:5413.*
12 Poncet et al. (2025) Cuttlefish favour their current need to hide rather than their future need for
food. Learning & Behavior, 53(1), 128-135.*
 

Si vous êtes intéressé(e)s, veuillez envoyer un CV et une lettre de motivation incluant les coordonnées
de deux références à Christelle.alves@unicaen.fr et alban.lemasson@univ-rennes.fr
Date limite : 15 mai 2026

Une pré-sélection sera réalisée par les futurs co-directeurs de thèse, puis le/la candidat(e) sélectionné(e) sera auditionné(e) au concours de l’Ecole Doctorale EdnBISE (le 22 Juin)
If you are interested, send CV and motivational letter including contact information for two references at Christelle.alves@unicaen.fr and alban.lemasson@univ-rennes.fr
Deadline: May 15th 2026
A first round of selection will be realized by the future co-directors of the PhD thesis. The selected candidate will be interviewed by the doctoral school EdnBISE (June 22th)

PhD studentship

 We are currently advertising a fully funded PhD position (3 years, fully funded by the Leverhulme Trust) at Nottingham Trent University within the department of Psychology. In this PhD, the student will generate new data to measure the facial behaviour of two species of semi-free ranging macaques (Tonkean and rhesus) and subsequently quantify their expressivity.

The project will assess the link between an individual’s facial expressivity (measured through ethological techniques) and the accuracy of their social knowledge (measured through cognitive testing). Using a secondary MRI dataset of the study subjects, and potentially incorporating new MRI, the student will also attempt to quantify the facial musculature of living primates and directly compare underlying anatomy with expressive behaviour.

The project will include an approximately 10-month visit to the Centre for Primatology (SILABE, University of Strasbourg) for the collection of behavioural and cognitive data. All field costs will be covered by the project.

You will be supported by interdisciplinary team: Jamie Whitehouse (Nottingham Trent University),  Sébastien Ballesta (University of Strasbourg) and Bridget Waller (Nottingham Trent University). International applications welcome! Deadline 19^th June, apply here: https://tinyurl.com/PhDNTU and more information here: https://jamiewhitehouse.github.io/mappingconnections/

PhD proposal

 https://www.uwe.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-study/how-to-apply/studentship-opportunities/ai-recognition-of-animal-emotions

Funded PhD position: Miller Cognition & Conservation Group

 

We have a 4-year PhD position at University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, Cornwall, ideally starting Sept 2026, entitled “From cognition to conservation: using cognitive and behavioural research to enhance animal reintroductions”. The supervisory team is Dr Rachael Miller (Harrison), Prof Alex Thornton, Dr Malcolm Burgess, Dr Malcolm Nicoll and Liz Corry, and funding is via my Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship.

 

Advert: https://www.exeter.ac.uk/study/funding/award/?id=5860 and https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/from-cognition-to-conservation-using-cognitive-and-behavioural-research-to-enhance-animal-reintroductions-phd-funded/?p196547

The closing date for applications is midnight on 5th June 2026. Please note it is (unfortunately) open to UK/Home students only, due to funder budget constraints.

Please can you help to circulate to your networks and relevant candidates. 

Research Assistant in Primate

 

Primate Cognitive Neuroscience Lab Manager and Research Assistant

The University of Chicago
Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute
Neuroscience Institute
Chicago, IL

General Summary:

The laboratory of David Freedman in the Department of Neurobiology and Neuroscience Institute at The University of Chicago investigates the neuronal mechanisms of visual learning, memory and decision making and is looking for a full-time research assistant to provide support for its research with non-human primates. The successful candidate will enjoy working in a dynamic team of around a dozen graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and reserach assistants, and contributing to cutting-edge scientific research on the mechanisms of cognition and learning in the non-human primate brain. The position is full time and includes salary and benefits.

The laboratory is located on the main campus of The University of Chicago, in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

Essential Functions:

Assisting in maintaining and documenting animal health and welfare (10%); assisting in training nonhuman primates (M. Mulatta) to perform computer-based behavioral tasks (50%); maintaining and documenting the supply of laboratory consumables and equipment (10%); maintaining equipment and experimental rooms (10%); training, collaborating, and assisting new laboratory personnel (10%); assisting in surgery and other minor procedures (5%); and handling various administrative and technical tasks (5%).

Qualifications:  Education and/or experience in animal research is required. Requires working knowledge of Microsoft Office and other related software; must be able to produce written reports of completed work and procedures; previous experience in a behavioral, cognitive, or neurophysiology laboratory and/or experience with non-human primates preferred.

Mental Demands:  Ability to conduct and coordinate multiple projects, general ability to troubleshoot and solve problems independently with limited direction, ability to work accurately with attention to detail.

Physical Demands: Responsibilities may require walking, standing, bending, and moderate weight lifting and carrying.

Interested candidates are encouraged to send a resume/CV and brief statement of career goals to Dr. Freedman at dfreedman@uchicago.edu.

Contact Information:
David J. Freedman, Ph.D.

Website:
http://www.freedmanlab.org

E-mail Address:

dfreedman@uchicago.edu

Two PhD (postdoc) Positions in the Evolutionary Cognition Group

 We are offering two 4-year PhD positions in the Evolutionary Cognition Group of the Department of
Evolutionary Anthropology at the University of Zurich.
The candidates will be hired for the SNF project The Evolutionary Roots of Altercentrism. In a broader
team, we investigate whether altercentric effects on cognition are unique to humans, or instead also
present in nonhuman primates. A strong focus is on the cooperatively breeding marmosets, who may be
particularly susceptible to altercentric influences, and on how altercentrism may be influenced by dyadic
and group properties such as bond strength, prosociality, and inter-individual synchronization at various
levels (physiological with thermography, hormonal, behavioral and communicative). To identify
evolutionary pathways toward altercentrism, additional nonhuman primate species will be tested.
The project combines cutting-edge technologies: experiments and observations supported by computer
vision and machine learning, gaze tracking, thermography, hormonal analyses, automated sound location
and RIFD controlled tasks. Candidates with expertise in at least one oft these techniques are particularly
welcome to apply.
The successful candidate is expected to
- be interested in animal cognition and communication and contribute to shaping the project
- perform cognitive tests and collect observational data with marmosets
- have previous experience with one of the above mentioned techniques, or a strong interest in it
- collect data in additional nonhuman primate species
- possess a solid background in statistics and data processing
- be fluent in English (oral, written)
Candidates should have a Msc degree or equivalent and a relevant training background in Biology,
Psychology, or Evolutionary Anthropology. They will be part of the PhD program in Evolutionary Biology
of the University of Zurich. The start of the positions is ideally in October 2026, or upon agreement. We
may also consider postdoc applications for one of the positions.
Please submit your application in a single pdf to judith.burkart@iea.uzh.ch, ideally until May 20, 2026.
Applications should include a cover letter stating your motivation and how your expertise fits in this
project (1 page), a CV, a copy of the highest degree obtained, and the names of two referees.
We take gender balance and diversity seriously in our hiring decisions