Research Environment
​The Sumasgutner Lab is based at the Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition (KLF), a core facility of the University of Vienna.
Our group offers a dynamic, collaborative environment at the interface of movement ecology, behavioural ecology, and conservation science. We work across the University of Vienna Biology Building and the Konrad Lorenz Research Center in Grünau/Almtal, where we provide direct access to key model systems, including the long-term research on ravens, geese and ibises. We host extensive multi-sensor biologging datasets and maintain established field sites in Vienna (urban kestrels, urban bees), South Africa (crowned eagles in Durban and red-winged starlings in Cape Town), and on the Galápagos (short-eared owls, Darwin’s finches).
The Team
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Assoc Prof Dr
Petra Sumasgutner
Principal Investigator
Petra Sumasgutner studies raptors because they are powerful indicators of how wildlife copes with human-driven change. Based at the University of Vienna, she uses biologging tools to follow raptors across landscapes. Petra enjoys working at the interface of field ecology, technology, and conservation, and is particularly passionate about training the next generation of raptor researchers and movement ecologists.
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Shane Sumasgutner, PhD
Field Technician
Shane Sumasgutner (born McPherson) is a wildlife biologist and Principal Investigator of the African Crowned Eagle Project. He brings extensive field expertise, from raptor trapping and biologging to tree climbing and drone piloting. Shane is often accompanied by his conservation dog Nala, and together they support field-based research aimed at understanding and conserving raptors. He thrives at the intersection of fieldwork, technology, and applied conservation.
Varalika Jain
PhD candidate
Project title: Movement and accelerometer inferred behaviour of eagles in relation to spatial and temporal patterns in human activity
Supervisor: Petra Sumasgutner
Silvia Damini
PhD candidate
Project title: Interspecific interactions in the foraging context in ravens (Corvus corax)
Supervisors: Thomas Bugnyar & Petra Sumasgutner
Matthias Schmidt
PhD candidate
Project title: Eastern imperial eagle in central Europe: Population development and spatial use in relation to direct and indirect threats, with a special focus on the use of wind energy infrastructure in Austria
Supervisors: Petra Sumasgutner & Erwin Nemeth
Johannes Ploderer
PhD candidate
Project title: Understanding predator-prey relationships on the Galápagos
Supervisors: Sonia Kleindorfer & Petra Sumasgutner
Josué Arteaga Torres
PhD candidate
Project title: Following the night hunter in the islands: Movement and feeding ecology of the Galápagos short-eared owls
Supervisors: Petra Sumasgutner
Theresa Ranieri
PhD candidate
Project title: UrbanBEE: Promoting biodiversity, ecosystem services and societal engagement across diverse urban ecosystems
Supervisors: Petra Sumasgutner & Linde Morawetz