Research activities:

- Evolution of préhension in Tetrapodes
- Grasping, manipulation and tool use in Primates
- Interdisciplinary approach: eco-ethology, biomechanics, functional morphology, paleoanthropology

Keywors : Prehension – Manipulation – Tool use - Primates – Tetrapodes – Evolution - Tradition - Biomechanics - Robotics

Website (CV, projects...): https://emmanuelle-pouydebat.weebly.com
Research gate: http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emmanuelle_Pouydebat

I am a permanent researcher employed by the French CNRS and working at the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris. I am currently part of the FunEvol team.

My main research interest concerns the evolution of grasping and manipulative behaviour, including tool use. I combine a variety of ethological and experimental approaches (e.g. behavioural observation, tool use experiments, biomechanical modelling...) in an explicit comparative framework: mammals (various primate species great apes included, elephants, various carnivorous...), birds, amphibians, arthropods. In this contexte, I try to gain insights into the evolution of prehensile organs and manipulative behaviours. I’m especially interested in the influence of the ecological factors (arboreal environment, food properties) have on the evolution of the food acquisition and manipulation of objects.

In addition to these approaches, I try to exploit my data in the frame of Paleoanthropology and robotics in collaboration with colleagues in France and abroad in order to 1) transfer my biological data to Paleoanthropologists to infer fossiles abilities and also to robotists in order to improve prehensile robots and 2) use prehension modelling in robotics to better understand biological systems.

photos_site_internet.PNG

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

Publications