J’étudie les primates pour mieux comprendre pourquoi nous, en tant qu’humain·e·s, faisons ce que nous faisons. Mes recherches en primatologie sont motivées par un profond intérêt pour les origines évolutives des comportements humains et de leur diversité. Je m’intéresse particulièrement aux fondements bio-sociaux du soin et du développement chez les nourrissons et les jeunes. À travers des études de terrain menées en Afrique auprès de singes et de chimpanzés, mes recherches explorent les relations complexes entre écologie nutritionnelle et reproductive, en utilisant l’analyse des isotopes stables pour reconstituer les schémas d’investissement maternel, de lactation, de sevrage et de croissance. Je m’intéresse également à la manière dont les soins alloparentaux et les réseaux de soins influencent les trajectoires développementales, ainsi qu’à la variabilité de ces dynamiques selon les espèces, les structures sociales et les contextes écologiques. Plus récemment, je m’intéresse au jeu et à l’exploration à différents niveaux, notamment à la façon dont les jeunes primates utilisent des outils et interagissent avec des objets de manière à contribuer à l’innovation et à la culture.

Professeure agrégée (2023 - aujourd’hui), Département d'anthropologie, Université de Montréal

AIAS Visiting Fellow and AUFF Visiting Researcher (2024), Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies and Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark

Professeure adjointe (2017-2023), Département d'anthropologie, Université de Montréal

Sessional Lecturer (2017), Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto

Education:

Ph.D. Biological Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto (2017)

M.A. Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, University of Calgary (2011)

B.Sc. Honours (First Class) in Primatology, Department of Anthropology, University of Calgary (2009)

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Roles:

Co-officer, EDI Committee, Canadian Association for Biological Anthropology (2022 – present)

Chair, EDI Committee, Département d’anthropologie, Université de Montréal (2023 – present)

Departmental and Institutional Committees:

Chair, Department Talks Series / Série de conférences départementales, Département d’anthropologie, Université de Montréal (2019 – 2024)

Member, ESP (Études supérieures et postdoctorales) Grants Review Committee, Université de Montréal (2022 – 2024) 

Member, BESC (Bureau des bourses d'études supérieures du Canada) Committee, Université de Montréal (2021–2023)

Member, Graduate Student Grants Committee, Département d’anthropologie, Université de Montréal (2018–2020)

Member, Sociocultural Anthropology Assistant Professor Search Committee, Département d'anthropologie, Université de Montréal (2024)

Member, Biological Anthropology Assistant Professor Search Committee, Département d'anthropologie, Université de Montréal (2021)

Étudiants diplômés (total 14)

PhD (4 in progress): Marine Larrivaz and Florence Landry (start 2020), Nirina Colombe Sehenomalala (start 2024), Elizabeth Ware (start 2025) 

MSc (6 graduated, 4 in progress): Kelly Desruelle (graduated 2020), Cassandra Curteanu (graduated 2021), Melila Bouarab and Charlotte St-Onge (graduated 2022), Lucile Dejeans (graduated 2022), Guillaume Lauwerier (graduated 2024), Médrick Heppell, Francis Latour and Milaine Clément (start 2024), Apolline Guillarme (start 2025)

Undergraduate students (total 20):

U de Montréal: Simon L'Allier (2018), Melila Bouarab, Charlotte St-Onge, Juliette Penez, Maryane Gradito, Catherine Bouchard, Emilie Rich Forgues, Jessica Pitre, Marianne Laurin-Lalonde, Lisandre Robichaud, Pascale Godin (2019), Mathieu Gaudreault (2020), Apolline Guillarme (2022), Tara Khayer (2023), Médrick Heppell, Kévin Joanin (2024)

U of Calgary: Katie Carmichael (2010)

U of Toronto: Deandra Chipilliquen (2015), Cassandra Curteanu (2017)

U Laval: Nadia Lemay (2019)

Students Committee Member (total 20):

U de Montréal, Anthropology: Eléa Gutierrez (Jury president, MSc defense, 2019), Karine Fortin (Jury member, MSc defense, 2020), Valerie Deschênes (Jury president, PhD candidacy, 2020), Lucile Bousquie (Jury member, PhD candidacy, 2022), Yasmine Flynn (Jury member, PhD candidacy, 2023), Catherine Bouchard (Jury member, MSc defense, 2023), Maelys Crabouillet (Jury member, MSc defense, 2023), Lara Douville (Jury member, MSc defense, 2023), Marie-Michele Bleau (Jury president, MSc defense, 2023), Emmanuelle Duchemin (Jury member, MSc defense, 2023)

U de Montréal, Biology: Charles Larouche-Bilodeau (Dean’s representative, PhD defense, 2021), Rim Bouchoucha (Jury member, MSc candidacy, 2022 and MSc defense, 2024), Marie Levet (Dean’s representative, PhD defense, 2025)

U de Montréal, Psychology: Sandra Lafortune (Dean’s representative, PhD defense, 2022)

U de Montréal, Demography and Population Sciences: Firmin Zinvi (Dean’s representative, PhD defense, 2024)

Concordia U, Geography, Planning and Environment: Ryan Ura (Committee member, MSc thesis proposal, 2025)

U de Sherbrooke, Biology: Limoilou-Amélie Renaud (External examiner, PhD defense, 2019), Lidia Colejo Duran (External examiner, PhD candidacy, 2021)

Victoria U, Anthropology: Lindsey Warshawski (External examiner, MSc defense, 2023)

Conference Organizer, Oct 2026 (upcoming), Canadian Association for Biological Anthropology (CABA/ACAB) 53^rd Annual Meeting, Montréal, Quebec.

Symposium Co-organizer (with A. King), Oct 2017, Biosocial perspectives on growth, development and parental investment. Symposium of Oral Presentations at 45^th Annual Canadian Association of Physical Anthropologists (CAPA/ACAP) Conference, Edmonton, Alberta.

Symposium Co-organizer (with J. Vayro), Oct 2015, Reproduction and parental investment in human and non-human primates. Symposium of Oral Presentations at 43^rd Annual Canadian Association of Physical Anthropologists (CAPA/ACAP) Conference, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Students Committee Member (total 20)

U de Montréal, Anthropology: Eléa Gutierrez (Jury president, MSc defense, 2019), Karine Fortin (Jury member, MSc defense, 2020), Valerie Deschênes (Jury president, PhD candidacy, 2020), Lucile Bousquie (Jury member, PhD candidacy, 2022), Yasmine Flynn (Jury member, PhD candidacy, 2023), Catherine Bouchard (Jury member, MSc defense, 2023), Maelys Crabouillet (Jury member, MSc defense, 2023), Lara Douville (Jury member, MSc defense, 2023), Marie-Michele Bleau (Jury president, MSc defense, 2023), Emmanuelle Duchemin (Jury member, MSc defense, 2023)

U de Montréal, Biology: Charles Larouche-Bilodeau (Dean’s representative, PhD defense, 2021), Rim Bouchoucha (Jury member, MSc candidacy, 2022 and MSc defense, 2024), Marie Levet (Dean’s representative, PhD defense, 2025)

U de Montréal, Psychology: Sandra Lafortune (Dean’s representative, PhD defense, 2022)

U de Montréal, Demography and Population Sciences: Firmin Zinvi (Dean’s representative, PhD defense, 2024)

Concordia U, Geography, Planning and Environment: Ryan Ura (Committee member, MSc thesis proposal, 2025)

U de Sherbrooke, Biology: Limoilou-Amélie Renaud (External examiner, PhD defense, 2019), Lidia Colejo Duran (External examiner, PhD candidacy, 2021)

Victoria U, Anthropology: Lindsey Warshawski (External examiner, MSc defense, 2023)

Journal Articles

Khayer T, Desruelle K, Curteanu C, Sellen D, Watts D and Bădescu I. 2025. Developmental and Sex-Based Variation in Nest Building Among Wild Immature Chimpanzees. American Journal of Primatology 87(3): e70011.

Bădescu I, Curteanu C, Sellen DW, Watts DP and Katzenberg MA. 2025. Investigating infant feeding development in wild chimpanzees using keratin stable isotopes of naturally shed hair. Invited paper to special issue “From Molecules to Metapopulations: Global Research led by Primatologists in Canada” (edited by Teichroeb JA, Melin A). American Journal of Primatology 87: e23552

Anderson KA, Teichroeb JA, Ramsay MS, Bădescu I, López-Torres S and Gibb JK. 2024. Same-sex sexual behavior among mammals is widely observed, yet seldomly reported: Evidence from an online expert survey. PLOS ONE 19(6): e0304885

Most CA, Landry F, Bădescu I and Wakefield ML. 2024. Intertroop kidnapping of a young infant in wild olive baboons (Papio anubis). Invited paper to special issue “Undocumented animal behaviours – reviving natural history” (edited by Lemaire B, Placì S, De Agrò M, Rößler D). In&Vertebrates DOI:10.52732/GOVP5115

Guillarme A, Bădescu I and Bolt LM. 2023. L'utilisation de la queue préhensile durant les interactions sociales chez les singes hurleurs à manteau (Alouatta palliata). AnthropoCité 3:39-50

Bădescu I, Watts DP, Curteanu C, Desruelle KJ and Sellen DW. 2022. Effects of infant age and sex, and maternal parity on the interaction of lactation with infant feeding development in chimpanzees. PLOS ONE 17(8): e0272139

Bădescu I, Watts DP, Katzenberg MA and Sellen DW. 2022. Maternal lactational investment is higher for sons in chimpanzees. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 76(3): 1-19

Stead SM, Bădescu I and Boonstra R. 2022. Of mammals and milk: how maternal stress affects nursing offspring. Mammal Review 52:129-147

Stead SM, Bădescu I, Raboin DL, Sicotte P, Rothman JM, Baden AL and Teichroeb JA. 2021. High levels of infant handling by adult males in Rwenzori Angolan colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii) compared to two closely related species, C. guereza and C. vellerosus. Primates 62(4): 637-646

Bădescu I, Sicotte P, Sandel AA, Desruelle KJ, Curteanu C, Watts DP and Sellen DW. 2020. Premasticated food transfer by wild chimpanzee mothers with their infants: Effects of maternal parity, infant age and sex, and food properties. Journal of Human Evolution 143(102794): 1-12

Bădescu I, Katzenberg MA, Watts D and Sellen D. 2017. A novel fecal stable isotope approach to determine the timing of age-related feeding transitions in wild infant chimpanzees. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 162: 285-299

Sicotte P, Teichroeb JA, Vayro JV, Fox SA, Bădescu I and Wikberg EC. 2017. The influence of male takeovers on female dispersal in Colobus vellerosus. American Journal of Primatology 79(7): e22436

Bădescu I, Watts D, Katzenberg MA and Sellen D. 2016. Alloparenting is associated with reduced maternal lactation effort and faster weaning in wild chimpanzees. Royal Society Open Science 3: 160577

Bădescu I, Wikberg EC, Macdonald LJ, Fox SA, Vayro JV, Crotty A and Sicotte P. 2016. Infanticide pressure accelerates infant development in a wild primate. Animal Behaviour 114: 231-239

Bădescu I, Sicotte P, Ting N and Wikberg EC. 2015. Female parity, maternal kinship, infant age and sex influence natal attraction and infant handling in a wild colobine (Colobus vellerosus). American Journal of Primatology 77: 376-387

Wikberg EC, Teichroeb JA, Bădescu I and Sicotte P. 2013. Individualistic female dominance hierarchies with varying strength in a highly folivorous population of black-and-white colobus. Behaviour 150: 295-320

Teichroeb JA, Wikberg EC, Bădescu I, Macdonald LJ and Sicotte P. 2012. Infanticide risk and male quality influence optimal group composition for Colobus vellerosus. Behavioral Ecology 23(6): 1348-1359

Book Chapters

Bădescu I and Larrivaz M. 2024. Jane Goodall : De jeune naturaliste à activiste écologiste engagée. In: Portraits de femmes et d'hommes remarquables. Volume 2. pp 426-437. Durocher R (ed.). Les Éditions JFD inc., Montréal, Canada

Stead S, Mucha S and Bădescu I. 2019. Alloparental Care. In: Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. pp 1-7. J. Vonk & T. Shackelford (eds), Springer, Cham, Switzerland

Bădescu D, Roman H and Bădescu I. 2019. Southern Carpathians (Romania): Pârgavul Cave. In: Caves and Karst Systems of Romania. pp 143-148. Ponta GM, Onac BP (eds). Springer, Cham, Switzerland

Bădescu I. 2018. The attainment of independence from the mother in primates and its implications for the evolution of cooperative breeding in hominins. In: The talking species: Perspectives on the evolutionary, neuronal, and cultural foundations of language. pp 165-191. Luef EM, Marin M (eds). Uni-Press Verlag, Graz, Austria