Thomas MacGillavry
@thomasmacgillavry.bsky.social
PhD student researching birds of paradise |
Interested in avian rhythm and “dance” 💃🏻🕺🏼|
Love music, nature, bouldering, and exploring wild places 🌴 |
he/him |
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
Interested in avian rhythm and “dance” 💃🏻🕺🏼|
Love music, nature, bouldering, and exploring wild places 🌴 |
he/him |
University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
Pinned
Very proud to present our paper on the spectacular “dances” of Victoria’s riflebirds!
Out now in Current Biology.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Out now in Current Biology.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
‘If musicality did not arise from language, where did it come from?’ New preprint, Curr. Biol. In press. : doi.org/10.31234/osf...
February 1, 2026 at 7:07 PM
‘If musicality did not arise from language, where did it come from?’ New preprint, Curr. Biol. In press. : doi.org/10.31234/osf...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Lecturer in Ecology and Evolution position available in Biology Department at Stanford University. Apply by April 1, 2026. (Photo by Rick Morris)
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31606
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31606
January 30, 2026 at 5:35 AM
Lecturer in Ecology and Evolution position available in Biology Department at Stanford University. Apply by April 1, 2026. (Photo by Rick Morris)
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31606
academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31606
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Dear colleagues, we are searching for candidates to fill a Full W3 Professorship for Plant #Ecology at the University of Regensburg, Germany. For details, see www.nature.com/naturecareer... 🌐 🌎 #AcademicJobs
Professorship W3 for Plant Ecology - Regensburg (Stadt), Bayern (DE) job with Universität Regensburg | 12851147
UNIVERSITÄT REGENSBURG The Faculty of Biology and Pre-Clinical Medicine invites applications for a Full Professorship W3 for Plant Ecology Th...
www.nature.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:00 PM
Dear colleagues, we are searching for candidates to fill a Full W3 Professorship for Plant #Ecology at the University of Regensburg, Germany. For details, see www.nature.com/naturecareer... 🌐 🌎 #AcademicJobs
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
I've just updated my reptiles portfolio gallery. #sciart
Have a look!👇👇
www.lazaroillustration.com/chameleon
Have a look!👇👇
www.lazaroillustration.com/chameleon
Javier Lazaro | Camaleon
Scientific and wildlife illustration
www.lazaroillustration.com
January 29, 2026 at 12:36 PM
I've just updated my reptiles portfolio gallery. #sciart
Have a look!👇👇
www.lazaroillustration.com/chameleon
Have a look!👇👇
www.lazaroillustration.com/chameleon
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
You love fish? We are looking for you!
We are hiring a Postdoc and a PhD student for our project on the effects of sleep deprivation on brain-heart communication!
Life imaging and behavior in zebrafish.
More information:
ncloud.lin-magdeburg.de/s/g3FeXEnJNb...
We are hiring a Postdoc and a PhD student for our project on the effects of sleep deprivation on brain-heart communication!
Life imaging and behavior in zebrafish.
More information:
ncloud.lin-magdeburg.de/s/g3FeXEnJNb...
a shark with its mouth open is swimming in the water
Alt: a shark with its mouth open is jumping out of the water
media.tenor.com
January 29, 2026 at 10:56 AM
You love fish? We are looking for you!
We are hiring a Postdoc and a PhD student for our project on the effects of sleep deprivation on brain-heart communication!
Life imaging and behavior in zebrafish.
More information:
ncloud.lin-magdeburg.de/s/g3FeXEnJNb...
We are hiring a Postdoc and a PhD student for our project on the effects of sleep deprivation on brain-heart communication!
Life imaging and behavior in zebrafish.
More information:
ncloud.lin-magdeburg.de/s/g3FeXEnJNb...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Join us at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University. We’re searching for an Assistant Professor in Biology. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
January 28, 2026 at 8:28 PM
Join us at the Evolutionary Biology Centre at Uppsala University. We’re searching for an Assistant Professor in Biology. www.uu.se/en/about-uu/...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
If you haven't watched the video abstract about Veronika the tool-using cow, you really should, especially the message from her owner at the end! It cleanses the timeline a bit.
🧪
www.cell.com/current-biol...
🧪
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Flexible use of a multi-purpose tool by a cow
Osuna-Mascaró and Auersperg report flexible, multipurpose tool use in a cow, expanding
the known range of mammalian tool users and underscoring overlooked cognitive capacities
in livestock.
www.cell.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:34 PM
If you haven't watched the video abstract about Veronika the tool-using cow, you really should, especially the message from her owner at the end! It cleanses the timeline a bit.
🧪
www.cell.com/current-biol...
🧪
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Post-doc position open in 2026 at UVMB Budapest to study the effects of global change on parental care in shorebirds. PhD in life sciences required. Apply via email to Grant McDonald: grant.mcdonald@univet.hu. More info: https://univet.hu/en/about/staff/mcdonald-grant. #job
McDonald Grant C. - University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest
INTRODUCTION Grant C. McDonald is an evolutionary ecologists studying how the social organisation of animal societies governs male and female reproductive strategies. He obtained his PhD from the University of Oxford where he studied how variation in social and sexual networks impact on patterns of sexual selection and sexual conflict. His current research explores the
univet.hu
January 28, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Post-doc position open in 2026 at UVMB Budapest to study the effects of global change on parental care in shorebirds. PhD in life sciences required. Apply via email to Grant McDonald: grant.mcdonald@univet.hu. More info: https://univet.hu/en/about/staff/mcdonald-grant. #job
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
MAJOR NEWS! We just launched an awesome new tool! The illustrated Birds of the World Phylogeny Explorer lets users trace any bird’s lineage, compare species relationships, and explore major evolutionary milestones with a click of a button. SHARE and EXPLORE! birdsoftheworld.org/bow/news/phy...
January 27, 2026 at 1:26 AM
MAJOR NEWS! We just launched an awesome new tool! The illustrated Birds of the World Phylogeny Explorer lets users trace any bird’s lineage, compare species relationships, and explore major evolutionary milestones with a click of a button. SHARE and EXPLORE! birdsoftheworld.org/bow/news/phy...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Excited to share that my first study on carnivoran brains is out! 🧠 We provide a unified framework for identifying neocortical sulci across 26 diverse carnivoran species, and discuss how regional variations in sulcal patterns may relate to their behaviour & ecology. elifesciences.org/articles/100...
January 28, 2026 at 12:50 PM
Excited to share that my first study on carnivoran brains is out! 🧠 We provide a unified framework for identifying neocortical sulci across 26 diverse carnivoran species, and discuss how regional variations in sulcal patterns may relate to their behaviour & ecology. elifesciences.org/articles/100...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
🚨Postdoc opportunity🚨: The impact of global change on parental care systems
Interested in Shorebirds? Global change? Parental care? Fieldwork? 🐣☀️ Come join us in Budapest!
Interested candidates - get in touch! Deadline Feb 28 2026
Interested in Shorebirds? Global change? Parental care? Fieldwork? 🐣☀️ Come join us in Budapest!
Interested candidates - get in touch! Deadline Feb 28 2026
January 27, 2026 at 8:59 AM
🚨Postdoc opportunity🚨: The impact of global change on parental care systems
Interested in Shorebirds? Global change? Parental care? Fieldwork? 🐣☀️ Come join us in Budapest!
Interested candidates - get in touch! Deadline Feb 28 2026
Interested in Shorebirds? Global change? Parental care? Fieldwork? 🐣☀️ Come join us in Budapest!
Interested candidates - get in touch! Deadline Feb 28 2026
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Our first #WilhelminenbergSeminarTalk of 2026 was given by Sandro Sehner and explored "Social Tolerance and Problem-Solving in Primate Groups"🐒 - a fascinating subject!
@leibniz-gemeinschaft.de @fiwivienna.bsky.social
@leibniz-gemeinschaft.de @fiwivienna.bsky.social
January 27, 2026 at 10:21 AM
Our first #WilhelminenbergSeminarTalk of 2026 was given by Sandro Sehner and explored "Social Tolerance and Problem-Solving in Primate Groups"🐒 - a fascinating subject!
@leibniz-gemeinschaft.de @fiwivienna.bsky.social
@leibniz-gemeinschaft.de @fiwivienna.bsky.social
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Use of a pronotal shield as an extraretinal short-wavelength filter for the dorsal compound eye of an insect royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article... | #BiologyLetters #Behaviour #Ecology #Evolution
January 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM
Use of a pronotal shield as an extraretinal short-wavelength filter for the dorsal compound eye of an insect royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article... | #BiologyLetters #Behaviour #Ecology #Evolution
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
I'm finding Alex Petti's murder especially hard to process because he's almost the same age my brother Kelly would have been if he had not also been killed. Details are different, but in both, the people in power decided not to investigate themselves.
shorthand.radionz.co.nz/kelly-savage...
shorthand.radionz.co.nz/kelly-savage...
Death Bed: The story of Kelly Savage
A young New Zealander entered a Japanese hospital in psychosis. He left braindead. His grieving mother is fighting for change.
shorthand.radionz.co.nz
January 26, 2026 at 12:03 PM
I'm finding Alex Petti's murder especially hard to process because he's almost the same age my brother Kelly would have been if he had not also been killed. Details are different, but in both, the people in power decided not to investigate themselves.
shorthand.radionz.co.nz/kelly-savage...
shorthand.radionz.co.nz/kelly-savage...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
We're advertising a PhD project on how social isolation influences aggression in flies. Based at Durham, co-supervised by @clarahowcroft.bsky.social . Despite what the ad says, this is also open to international applicants! Any questions, shoot me a msg! www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Angry and Alone: How Social Experience Shapes Female Aggression in Flies at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - Angry and Alone: How Social Experience Shapes Female Aggression in Flies at Newcastle University, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
January 26, 2026 at 10:02 AM
We're advertising a PhD project on how social isolation influences aggression in flies. Based at Durham, co-supervised by @clarahowcroft.bsky.social . Despite what the ad says, this is also open to international applicants! Any questions, shoot me a msg! www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Great postdoc opportunity in Sweden!! With the one and only David Wardle 🧪🌐
www.umu.se/en/work-with...
www.umu.se/en/work-with...
Post doctor (3 years) within mountain plant community and ecosystem processes across a globally distributed experiment
www.umu.se
January 24, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Great postdoc opportunity in Sweden!! With the one and only David Wardle 🧪🌐
www.umu.se/en/work-with...
www.umu.se/en/work-with...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Thrilled that our elephant gesture work got featured in the latest National Geographic PhotoArk edition @natgeophotos.bsky.social @angelastoeger.bsky.social @nakedprimate.bsky.social. Photo Ark uses the power of photography to inspire people to help protect at-risk species before it’s too late.
January 21, 2026 at 6:06 PM
Thrilled that our elephant gesture work got featured in the latest National Geographic PhotoArk edition @natgeophotos.bsky.social @angelastoeger.bsky.social @nakedprimate.bsky.social. Photo Ark uses the power of photography to inspire people to help protect at-risk species before it’s too late.
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Super black plumage was identified in birds as part of awesome work by Drs. Dakota McCoy (@reallymccoy.bsky.social), Rick Prum, and others.
Dr. Roberta Canton dug into one clade containing a taxon having super black plumage, _Lepidothrix_ manakins, to show that super black is relatively common...
Dr. Roberta Canton dug into one clade containing a taxon having super black plumage, _Lepidothrix_ manakins, to show that super black is relatively common...
January 22, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Super black plumage was identified in birds as part of awesome work by Drs. Dakota McCoy (@reallymccoy.bsky.social), Rick Prum, and others.
Dr. Roberta Canton dug into one clade containing a taxon having super black plumage, _Lepidothrix_ manakins, to show that super black is relatively common...
Dr. Roberta Canton dug into one clade containing a taxon having super black plumage, _Lepidothrix_ manakins, to show that super black is relatively common...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
And now something positive:
solar and wind energy production in the EU surpasses fossil energy for the first time.
☀️ 💨
#TippingPoint
Source: dr.dk
solar and wind energy production in the EU surpasses fossil energy for the first time.
☀️ 💨
#TippingPoint
Source: dr.dk
January 22, 2026 at 6:41 AM
And now something positive:
solar and wind energy production in the EU surpasses fossil energy for the first time.
☀️ 💨
#TippingPoint
Source: dr.dk
solar and wind energy production in the EU surpasses fossil energy for the first time.
☀️ 💨
#TippingPoint
Source: dr.dk
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
The oldest documented rock art in the world.
Rock art from at least 67,800 years ago in Sulawesi - Nature
A hand stencil painted on a cave wall on a small island off the coast of Sulawesi more than 67,800 years ago suggests a very early occupation of Wallacea.
www.nature.com
January 21, 2026 at 11:16 PM
The oldest documented rock art in the world.
Very important point!
✍ Scientific stories: Why academia should move from publication metrics to narratives
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/s...
Inspired by a recent Nature column by Adrian Barnett, I argue that publishing less isn’t the real solution. We need more focus on scientific narratives.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/s...
Inspired by a recent Nature column by Adrian Barnett, I argue that publishing less isn’t the real solution. We need more focus on scientific narratives.
Scientific stories: Why academia should move from publication metrics to narratives
Publishing less papers might not be the best solution.
jenteottenburghs.wordpress.com
January 21, 2026 at 7:02 PM
Very important point!
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Want to do a PhD on White Sharks using high-powered imaging to analyse form and function of their teeth and jaws?
You will work with me and the dream team @charlie-huveneers.bsky.social @meyer-sci.bsky.social @weisbeckerbblab.bsky.social & #SARDI at Flinders Uni
🦈🦷🦴 Interested? Get in touch!
You will work with me and the dream team @charlie-huveneers.bsky.social @meyer-sci.bsky.social @weisbeckerbblab.bsky.social & #SARDI at Flinders Uni
🦈🦷🦴 Interested? Get in touch!
August 11, 2025 at 4:42 AM
Want to do a PhD on White Sharks using high-powered imaging to analyse form and function of their teeth and jaws?
You will work with me and the dream team @charlie-huveneers.bsky.social @meyer-sci.bsky.social @weisbeckerbblab.bsky.social & #SARDI at Flinders Uni
🦈🦷🦴 Interested? Get in touch!
You will work with me and the dream team @charlie-huveneers.bsky.social @meyer-sci.bsky.social @weisbeckerbblab.bsky.social & #SARDI at Flinders Uni
🦈🦷🦴 Interested? Get in touch!
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Congrats @danielavallentin.bsky.social happy to see this out in @currentbiology.bsky.social
January 12, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Congrats @danielavallentin.bsky.social happy to see this out in @currentbiology.bsky.social
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Our new paper (with @biotay.bsky.social) is out and on the cover story of @currentbiology.bsky.social !!!! Veronika, a Carinthian mountain cow flexibly uses a “multi-purpose tool” to scratch herself. A video and more information will follow in the comments.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
January 19, 2026 at 4:07 PM
Our new paper (with @biotay.bsky.social) is out and on the cover story of @currentbiology.bsky.social !!!! Veronika, a Carinthian mountain cow flexibly uses a “multi-purpose tool” to scratch herself. A video and more information will follow in the comments.
www.cell.com/current-biol...
www.cell.com/current-biol...
Reposted by Thomas MacGillavry
Is dogs’ tendency to follow human misleading communicative cues influenced by humans’ auditory perspective?
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Is dogs’ tendency to follow human misleading communicative cues influenced by humans’ auditory perspective? - Animal Cognition
Studying Theory of Mind in non-verbal populations requires designing tasks that address the distinction between responding based on directly perceivable cues and additionally inferring others’ mental ...
link.springer.com
January 19, 2026 at 1:34 PM
Is dogs’ tendency to follow human misleading communicative cues influenced by humans’ auditory perspective?
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...