I grew up in Brussels, Belgium, but I’ve always felt most at home in nature. Studying biology at the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the University of Liège just felt right. After my MSc thesis on ecological niche modelling in Germany and an internship in fish cognition in Iceland, I was hooked on research and decided to pursue a PhD.

Birds (especially corvids) have always fascinated me, living as they do between wild places and city life. When I learned about the Cornish Jackdaw Project’s work in different environments, I jumped at the chance to join Alex’s team. My PhD in urban ecology lets me explore how jackdaws settle into urban spaces, combining the study of behaviour, cognitive flexibility, trophic niches, and population genetics.

Since 2023, I’ve been hired as a PhD assistant at the University of Liège and each breeding season, I return to the CJP to collect data, run experiments, and contribute to the project.

You can follow my updates here : https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Margaux-Vanhussel/research