Philippa Brakes

In their New Zealand Mana Tūāpapa Future Leader Fellowship, Dr Philippa Brakes will investigate how cultural transmission can promote or reduce population resilience in different animal species. We live in an information-rich world. Social learning allows humans and other animals to transmit information within and between generations. However, the spread of poor-quality information can be unhelpful, causing “maladaptive” behaviour, with potentially disastrous consequences.

Dr Brakes’ interdisciplinary research will develop new computer modelling tools to analyse socially transmitted information, such as the spread of disinformation and harmful fads in human culture, and the spread of maladaptive behaviours, such as mass stranding in whales. This work has the potential to generate a range of insights – from understanding how social learning could mitigate or worsen species’ responses to climate change, to how humans can manage the spread of fake news or false information generated by artificial intelligence.  

Dr Brakes (right) collaborating with partners across the Pacific to explore whale culture. Supplied.