Prof. Dr. Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeld
Curriculum vitae
June 15, 1928 born in Vienna, Austria
| 1945-1949 | study at University of Vienna (Zoology), Promotion Dr. phil. December |
| 1946-1948 |
research associate at the Biological Station Wilhelminenberg near |
| 1949-1950 |
research associate of the Institute for Comparative Behavior Studies in Altenberg near Vienna (Head: Prof. Konrad Lorenz) |
| 1951-1969 |
Max-Planck-Institute for Behavioral Physiology (first at Buldern, Westphalia, from 1957 at Seewiesen, Bavaria) |
| 1953-1954 |
first Xarifa-Expedition with Prof. Hans Hass: Caribbean Sea, Galápagos |
| 1957 |
Head of the UNESCO expedition to the Galápagos Islands |
| 1957-1958 |
second Xarifa-Expedition with Prof. Hans Hass: Maldives, Nicobares |
| 1957-1970 |
Honorary Scientific Director of the International Institute for Submarine Research in Vaduz, Liechtenstein |
| 1961 |
guest Professor at the University of Chicago, Department of Psychology |
| 1963 |
habilitation at the University of Munich |
| 1967 |
first textbook on Ethology (english ed. 1970) |
| 1967 |
guest Professor at the University of Minnesota, Institute for Child Development |
| 1970 |
Professor of Zoology at the University of Munich |
| 1970-1996 |
Head of a Research Group for Human Ethology which became an independent Research Institute for Human Ethology of the Max-Planck-Society in 1975 (until 1986 in Seewiesen, then in Andechs) |
| 1984 |
first textbook on human ethology (english ed. 1989) |
| 1985-1993 |
President of the International Society for Human Ethology |
| Since 1992 |
Honorary Director of the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology in Vienna |
| Since 1996 |
as Prof. Emeritus at the Max-Planck-Institute for Ornithology (Seewiesen and Andechs) continuing his Research as Head of the Film Archive of Human Ethology (Andechs) |
| Since 1997 | Ordinary Member of the Humanwissenschaftliches Zentrum (HWZ) of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich |
After twenty years of research in Animal Behavior and Marine Biology, in the 1960ies Irenaeus Eibl-Eibesfeldt began with research studies in Human Ethology. Through his studies of expressive behavior of deaf and blind born, and his cross-cultural documentation programme of human behavior, he contributed significantly to establish the discipline of Human Ethology.
During a longterm project in the search for universals, he documented in numerous expeditions in longitudinal studies social interaction in everyday life, rituals and other activities in different cultures, whom he visited regularly, some of them over a period of 30 years or longer: the Yanomami (Waika-Indians Upper Orinoko, South America), Himba (Namibia), Kalahari Bushmen (!Kung, G/wi, !Ko, Botswana), Eipo (West-Irian, New Guinea), Biami (Papua New Guinea), Bali and Trobriand Islanders. The documentation of this ongoing research is housed at the Film Archive of Human Ethology in Andechs.
Some Memberships
Since:
1957 Deutsche Zoologische Gesellschaft
1959 Founding member of the Charles Darwin Foundation (since 1962 executive board)
1963 Corresp. member of the Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung (SGN - Research Institute and Natural History Museum)
1972 Founding member of the International Society for Research on Aggression
1972 Founding member of the International Society for Human Ethology (executive board 1978-1982; President 1985-1991)
1977 Corresp. member of the Academia Leopoldina, Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher
1980 Founding member of the Konrad-Lorenz-Gesellschaft für Umwelt- und Verhaltenskunde
1983 Program Review Council of the The Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife, Research, Education & Conservation
1987 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences
1990 Founding Member and Prodekan of the European Academy of Arts and Sciences
Member of the advisory board of The Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research in Altenberg
1991-2008 Founder and Scientific Director of the Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology in Vienna
1993 Head of the advisory board of the Peter and Traudl Engelhorn Foundation
1997 Founding Member of the Humanwissenschaftliches Zentrum (HWZ) of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich
1998 Member of the advisory board of the Heinz Sielmann Foundation
Member of various other scientific organisations and societies such as the Animal Behavior Society (Fellow), Gesellschaft für Anthropologie (Society for Anthropology, 1968), Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker (Society for Threatened Peoples, 1977), Deutsche Liga für das Kind, Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Ethnomedizin (German Society for Medical Anthropology, 1978), Ethologische Gesellschaft (1980), Namibia Scientific Society (corresp. member, 1985), etc.
Awards
1971 Goldene Bölsche Medaille der Kosmos Gesellschaft (appreciation of merits for the popularization of his field of science)
1981 Burda-Preis für Kommunikationsforschung (in medias res, Award for communication-research)
1988 Philip Morris Forschungspreis (Philip Morris Research Award)
1989 Goldene Ehrenmedaille der Stadt Wien (Golden Medal of Honor of Vienna, Austria)
1994 "Doctor Honoris Causa" (Philosophy) of University Salamanca, Spain
1995 Großes Verdienstkreuz des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany)
1996 Libellenorden der Nationalpark-Akademie Donau-Auen des naturhistorischen Museums Wien (appreciation of merits for the international nature conservation) for supporting nationalpark projects of international rank especially by initiatve and scientific consulting for Galápagos national park
1996 Schwenk'scher Umweltpreis der Stadt Ebersberg (award for environmental protection)
1997 Haackert-Stiftung Medaille (Haackert Foundation Medal) for excellent achievements in research in human behaviour
1997 Bayerischer Verdienstorden (Bavarian Order of Merit)
1997 Jahrespreis der Stiftung für Abendländische Ethik und Kultur STAB, (Award of the year of the Foundation for Occidental Ethics and Culture), Zurich, Switzerland
1998 Österreichisches Ehrenkreuz für Wissenschaft und Kunst I. Klasse (Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, First Class)
1998 Inge and Werner Grüter-Prize for Scientific Publicity 1998 for his services to Marine Biology and Reef Research
1999 Premio Catedra Santiago Grisolía for his services to the research on Human Ethology and aggressiveness; Centro Reina Sofía, Valencia, Spain
2001 Große Goldene Peutinger Medaille (Great Golden Peutinger Medal)
2001 Ehrenpreis der Heinz-Sielmann-Stiftung (Award of Honour of the Heinz-Sielmann-Foundation)
2003 Goldenes Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um das Land Wien (Golden Badge of Honor for services to the federal state of Vienna, Austria)
2005 “Doctor Honoris Causa“ (Psychology) of the University of Bologna, Italy
2007 Orden Nacional Al Merito de la Republica del Ecuador en Grado de Comendador (Order of merit of the Republic of Ecuador), Quito, Ecuador
2011 Premio Nonino for Lifetime Achievement (Nonino Prize for Literature), Italy
