Dr. Maude Baldwin
Curriculum Vitae
Maude Baldwin received her doctorate in organismic and evolutionary biology from Harvard University in 2015. She then became a research group leader at the MPI for Ornithology in Seewiesen, which is now part of the MPI for Biological Intelligence. Baldwin is now setting up the eighth department at the MPI, which deals with the evolution of sensory and physiological systems. The focus is on the taste and digestive systems of various vertebrates such as birds, reptiles and fish.
Research Interests
Maude Baldwin and her team are researching the evolution of the sense of taste and digestion in vertebrates. For example, they have discovered that birds have lost their receptor for the perception of sweetness in the course of evolution. However, hummingbirds, songbirds and some woodpeckers can still taste sweetness via a newly developed receptor for savoury (umami). The researchers want to investigate the causes and effects of such changes in sensory perception. To do so, they are combining molecular methods, cell cultures and behavioural observations.