shanymd@gmail.com
BIOGRAPHY
Current and recent research
In my postdoctoral research at the Veterinary University of Vienna, I am studying social learning in dogs. One of my main projects examines how the hormone oxytocin influences the tendency of dogs to learn from their caretakers. I completed my doctoral studies at the Department of Ethology in Budapest, where I studied the evolutionary origin of language by examining language-related abilities in a group of exceptionally talented dogs. These Gifted dogs can rapidly learn new object labels through social interactions. Gifted dogs are very rare, so in order to locate them, I produced the Genius Dog Challenge, which was a series of experiments live broadcasted over YouTube. The Genius Dog Challenge was not only a social media campaign aimed to recruit subjects, but also a scientific study (Dror et al., 2021, 2023, 2024). The Genius Dog Challenge received massive media exposure and was featured by leading international media channels all around the world, including ABC News, The Guardian, Fox News, The Times, NBC News, Sky News, New York Times, CNN, among others.
Past research and animal training
Prior to my PhD research, I trained miniature family pigs to perform a variety of (slightly bizarre) research tasks, including voluntarily participating in fully conscious, unrestrained, fMRI scans. I completed my Master’s degree at Hohenheim University, Germany, where I examined the use of honeybees as a method for deterring Asian elephants. During my bachelor’s degree I trained fruit bats to participate in navigation tasks at the Weitzman Institute of Science. I have extensive experience in training working dogs as I served in the Israeli police force dog handler unit, and qualified to represent Israel in four IPO world championships (FCI WM 2015-17 & WUSV 2016) with my personal dog Mitos (highest world ranking 51th place).
Growing up, I spent most of my time in the stables and started training my first horse at the age of 12. For me, research is a personal passion, fulfilling my childhood dream of trying to better understand animals and humans.