Since I was young, I am fascinated by social organisation of animal species, especially by how group members communicate and take optimal decisions for their survival. Thus, I naturally became interested in the leadership phenomenon during group movements and decision-making processes involved in.

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For those purposes, I was focused on collective movements and space use of European bison during my Master. This first research project, in addition to the fundamental knowledge brought on the animal societies functioning, also allowed me to reflect about the potential applications that my results can have for bison conservation and herd management, the European bison being classified as vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List.

 

I then continued to focus on this thematic during my thesis, with the main aim of better understand the influence of individual characteristics on the propension to be a good leader and the role of social relationships in the joining process. These findings aimed to identify the typical profile of a leader to consider equiping this specific individual with a GPS virtual fences device, an innovative tool of herd management intending to replace conventional fences.

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