Sophie Holtz

Doctoral candidate

Research interests: • animal cognition • animal communication • vocal production and vocal learning • neuronal circuits and gene networks involved in bat vocal production and vocal learning • combining molecular methods with behavioral experiments to understand the neural control of bat vocal production and vocal learning • evolution of human speech and language

Academic education

since 2021 Doctoral candidate, Max Planck School of Cognition, Leipzig, Germany
Doctoral research performed at Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Supervisor: Constance Scharff
Lab rotations in the orientation phase: Constance Scharff, David Poeppel and Simon E. Fisher

2020 Master of Science in Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

2016 Bachelor of Science in Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

Research experience

2020–2021 Researcher praedoc, Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

2020–2021 Teaching assistance for Introduction to Behavioral Biology, Advanced Behavioral Biology, and Animal Physiology: Behavioral Physiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

Teaching

2020–2021 Teaching assistance for Introduction to Behavioral Biology, Advanced Behavioral Biology, and Animal Physiology: Behavioral Physiology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany

Scholarships

12/2018–02/2019 Short-term fellowship from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on Barro Colorado Island, Panama

01/2019–03/2019 PROMOS (DAAD) Stipend on Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Publications

Tison, L., Holtz, S., Adeoye, A., Kalkan, Ö., Irmisch, N. S., Lehmann, N., & Menzel, R. (2017). Effects of sublethal doses of thiacloprid and its formulation Calypso® on the learning and memory performance of honey bees. Journal of Experimental Biology, 220(20), 3695–3705. https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.154518

Tison, L., Hahn, M. L., Holtz, S., Rößner, A., Greggers, U., Bischoff, G., & Menzel, R. (2016). Honey bees’ behavior is impaired by chronic exposure to the neonicotinoid thiacloprid in the field. Environmental Science & Technology, 50(13), 7218–7227. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.6b02658

Poster presentations and talks

Holtz, S., Geipel, I., Page, R., & Knörnschild, M. (2022, November/December). Talking Echoes: The communicative potential of functional echolocation calls of the common big-eared bat, Micronycteris microtis [Talk]. Virtual Graduate Meeting: Animal Behaviour 2022 of the Animal Behaviour Section of the German Zoological Society (DZG), online.

Holtz, S., Geipel, I., Page, R., & Knörnschild, M. (2022, October). Talking Echoes: The communicative potential of functional echolocation calls of the common big-eared bat, Micronycteris microtis [Talk]. German Bat Research Meeting, Greifswald, Germany.

Holtz, S. (2020, January). Mapping vocalization-related immediate early gene expression in the brain of Seba’s short-tailed fruit bat, Carollia perspicillata [Poster]. German Bat Research Meeting, Frauenwörth Abbey, Chiemsee, Germany.

Holtz, S. (2019, February). Vocal communication in the common big-eared bat “Micronycteris microtis” [Poster]. Annual Fellows & Interns Symposium at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Republic of Panama.