Andrea Sommese, Ph.D.
Department of Ethology, ELTE University, Budapest, Hungary
My Twitter account (@andrea_sommese) has 800+ followers. My research has been featured in many news reports across TV, radio, newspapers, and other media. In 2020, our live experiment – The Genius Dog Challenge – was broadcast on YouTube and Facebook. The Challenge has also been featured in the NY Times, The Guardian, and 100s of other media outlets. In 2021 similar attention was achieved through our exploratory analysis of head tilts in dogs.
Core research
Animal Cognition | Comparative Psychology | Animal Behaviour
Education
Ph.D. 2021. Animal Science. Czech University of Life Sciences. Prague, Czech Republic
M.Sc. 2014. Ecology and Evolution. University of Ferrara, Italy
B.Sc. 2012. Natural Sciences. University of Naples ‘Federico II’, Italy
Employment
Postdoc 2021 – current – Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest x Royal Canin
Research assistant. 2019 – 2021. Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest
Internship in Ethology. 2018. University of Milan
Internship in Animal Cognition. 2014 – 2015. University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
Internship in Zooanthropology. 2013. University of Ferrara Internship. 2012 in Ecology. University of Sassari
Publication summary
Citations: 90 | h-index: 6
Fugazza C, Turcsan B, Sommese A, Dror S, Temesi A, Miklósi Á. An exploratory comparison of personality traits of Gifted Word Learner and Typical Border collies. Animal Cognition. 2022 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-022-01657-x
Sommese A*, Dror S*, Miklósi Á, Temesi A, Fugazza C. Behavioural analysis reveals flexible modality usage and multisensory mental representations of objects in typical and Gifted Word Learner dogs. Animal Cognition. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-022-01639-z
Sommese A, Miklósi Á, Pogány Á, Temesi A, Dror S, Fugazza C. An exploratory analysis of head-tilting in dogs. Animal cognition. 2021 Oct 26:1-5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-021-01571-8
Dror S, Miklósi Á, Sommese A, Temesi A, Fugazza C. Acquisition and long-term memory of object names in a sample of Gifted Word Learner dogs. Royal Society open science. 2021 Oct 6;8(10):210976. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.210976
Fugazza C, Dror S, Sommese A, Temesi A, Miklósi Á. Word learning dogs (Canis familiaris) provide an animal model for studying exceptional performance. Scientific Reports. 2021 Jul 7;11(1):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93581-2
Sommese A, Valsecchi P, Pelosi A, Prato-Previde E. Comparing behavioural characteristics of Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs, German shepherds and Labrador retrievers in Italy and the Czech Republic. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 2021 Apr 1;237:105300. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105300
Fugazza C, Sommese A, Pogány Á, Miklósi Á. Did we find a copycat? Do as I Do in a domestic cat (Felis catus). Animal Cognition. 2021 Jan;24(1):121-31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-020-01428-6
Czeibert K, Sommese A, Petneházy Ö, Csörgő T, Kubinyi E. Digital endocasting in comparative canine brain morphology. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2020 Oct 6;7:749. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2020.565315
Sommese A, Nováková K, Šebková NF, Bartoš L. A wolfdog point of view on the impossible task paradigm. Animal cognition. 2019 Nov;22(6):1073-83. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-019-01298-7
Mori E, Mazza G, Saggiomo L, Sommese A, Esattore B. Strangers coming from the Sahara: an update of the worldwide distribution, potential impacts and conservation opportunities of alien aoudad. Annales Zoologici Fennici. Vol. 54. No. 5–6. Finnish Zoological and Botanical Publishing Board, 2017. https://doi.org/10.5735/086.054.0501
Saggiomo L, Picone F, Esattore B, Sommese A. An overview of understudied interaction types amongst large carnivores. Food Webs. 2017 Sep 1;12:35-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2017.01.001
Werhahn G, Virányi Z, Barrera G, Sommese A, Range F. Wolves (Canis lupus) and dogs (Canis familiaris) differ in following human gaze into distant space but respond similar to their packmates’ gaze. Journal of Comparative Psychology. 2016 Aug;130(3):288. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/com0000036
Selected conferences and workshops
Fugazza C, Dror S, Sommese A, Temesi A, Miklósi Á. Bridging the Technological Gap – Spreading Technological Innovations in the Study of the Human and Non-human Mind (2022) – poster
Sommese A, Miklósi Á, Pogány Á, Temesi A, Dror S, Fugazza C (2022): Why do (some) dogs tilt their heads? IX. Kutyaetológia konferencia – oral presentation
Sommese A, Valsecchi P, Pelosi A, Prato-Previde E (2021): A tale of two countries: behavioural characteristics of Czechoslovakian Wolfdogs, German shepherds, and Labrador retrievers in Italy and the Czech Republic. 7th Canine Science Forum – poster
Sommese A, Nováková K, Šebková NF, Bartoš L (2018): A Wolfdog Point of View on the ‘Impossible Task Paradigm’. 6th Canine Science Forum – oral presentation
Sommese A, Nováková K, Šebková NF, Bartoš L (2017): The degree of communication between humans and dogs, wolfdogs and wolves in association with the genetic background. 4th European Student Conference on Behaviour and Cognition – oral presentation
Teaching
Sommese A. (2021), Inter-specific communication in canids. Bangor University – invited lecturer
Sommese, A. (2016, 2017, 2018), Dogs: effects of domestication and ontogeny on their cognition. Czech University of Life Sciences – seminar
Sommese, A. (2016, 2017, 2018), Intra and inter-specific communication in canids. Czech University of Life Sciences – seminar
Selected media coverage and public engagement
Sommese A. (2022): Talk to tilt: an exploratory analysis of head-tilting in dogs. Applying ethology webinar series
Sommese A. (2021 – current): Skype a scientist
Sommese A. (2021): Animal café – chiacchiere e animali al bar
Sommese A. (2021): Cani geniali e come trovarli. In collaboration with ARDEA
Sommese A. (2021): (C)onosciamo il lupo. In collaboration with ASNU
Sommese A. (2016): Sulle orme del lupo. In collaboration with ARDEA Onlus, Associazione Cibele, Sci Club Fondo Matese, Az. Agroturistica “Falode” and the Regional Park of the Matese
Other activities
Memberships: Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB), Animal Behaviour Society (ABS), Associazione Internazionale Ricercatori Italiani (AIRI), 500 Queer Scientists
Peer Review, Journals: Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Animal Cognition, Animal Behaviour, Frontiers in Veterinary Science, iScience, Journal of Zoology, PLoS One
Teaching (non-academic): Course Leader for Glossa, Jipka, and Caledonian language school (>2.5 years)
Andrea Sommese, Ph.D. 