Dr Stephan Leu

Lecturer

School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences

College of Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Sheep at Fowlers Gap Research StationTiliqua rugosa

I am interested in animal behaviour in an evolutionary ecological framework. In my research I ask fundamental questions about the emergence, maintenance and consequences of social structure in animal populations. I typically track animals with GPS loggers, which provides deep insight into animals' spatial behaviour. My research questions sit at the interface of three exciting and growing research areas, and specifically address the complex interconnection between them:

1) Animal social networks. Which factors drive animal social structure, and collective behaviour, and what are the consequences for health and fitness?
2) Movement ecology. Social structure can emerge as a consequence of animal movement and space use. I investigate how movement decisions at the individual and group level affect the probability of interacting with other conspecifics and how this ultimately leads to the emergence of social structure.
3) Disease ecology. How do spatial and social interactions predict pathogen transmission through populations?

You can find out more details on my research page.

Date Position Institution name
2020 - ongoing Lecturer in Animal Behaviour University of Adelaide
2017 - 2020 ARC DECRA Fellow Macquarie University
2017 - 2017 Postdoctoral Research Fellow Georgetown University
2016 - 2016 Postdoctoral Endeavour Research Fellow Georgetown University
2011 - 2016 Earlier Postdoctoral positions Australia

Language Competency
English Can peer review
German Can peer review

Date Institution name Country Title
Flinders University Australia PhD
University of Göttingen Germany MSc - Biology (Diplom Biologe)

Year Citation
2025 Payne, E., Sinn, D. L., Spiegel, O., Leu, S. T., Wohlfeil, C. K., Godfrey, S. S., . . . Sih, A. (2025). Personality, space use, and networks directly and indirectly explain tick infestation in a wild population of lizards. Ecological Monographs, 95(1), e70000-1-e70000-15.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2025 Wierucka, K., Murphy, D., Watson, S. K., Falk, N., Fichtel, C., León, J., . . . Burkart, J. M. (2025). Same data, different results? Machine learning approaches in bioacoustics. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 16(8), 1574-1586.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2025 Albery, G. F., Becker, D. J., Firth, J. A., De Moor, D., Ravindran, S., Silk, M., . . . Bansal, S. (2025). Density-dependent network structuring within and across wild animal systems.. Nature ecology & evolution, 9(11), 2002-2013.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC2
2024 Lee, K. H., Blyton, M. D. J., Godfrey, S. S., Sih, A., Gardner, M. G., Whiting, M. J., & Leu, S. T. (2024). Enterobacteriaceae community dynamics in sleepy lizards: Richness, prevalence and co-occurrence over time. Austral Ecology, 49(12), e70014-1-e70014-17.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2024 Vartparonian, V. E., & Leu, S. T. (2024). The presence of informed conspecifics improves individual foraging efficiency in naïve sheep. Behavioural Processes, 215, 104994-1-104994-6.
DOI Scopus2 WoS1 Europe PMC2
2024 Borthwick, Z., Quiring, K., Griffith, S. C., & Leu, S. T. (2024). Heat stress conditions affect the social network structure of free-ranging sheep. Ecology and Evolution, 14(2), e10996-1-e10996-10.
DOI Scopus5 WoS4 Europe PMC4
2024 Van Wettere, W. H. E. J., Culley, S., Swinbourne, A. M. F., Leu, S. T., Lee, S. J., Weaver, A. C., . . . Westra, S. (2024). Heat stress from current and predicted increases in temperature impairs lambing rates and birth weights in the Australian sheep flock. Nature Food, 5(3), 206-210.
DOI Scopus8 WoS6 Europe PMC4
2024 Wierucka, K., & Leu, S. T. (2024). Robust encoding of acoustic identity in alpaca hums - a basis for individual recognition. BIOACOUSTICS-THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SOUND AND ITS RECORDING, 33(6), 498-509.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2
2023 Lee, K. H., Whiting, M. J., & Leu, S. T. (2023). Are whole-organism performance and thermal preference linked to endo- and ectoparasites in a short-lived lizard?. Ethology, 129(8), 432-443.
DOI Scopus4 WoS4
2023 Della Libera, K., Strandburg-Peshkin, A., Griffith, S. C., & Leu, S. T. (2023). Fission-fusion dynamics in sheep: the influence of resource distribution and temporal activity patterns. Royal Society Open Science, 10(7), 1-14.
DOI Scopus8 WoS5 Europe PMC4
2023 Della Libera, K., Strandburg-Peshkin, A., Griffith, S. C., & Leu, S. T. (2023). Correction to: 'Fission-fusion dynamics in sheep: the influence of resource distribution and temporal activity patterns' (2023) by Della Libera et al.. R Soc Open Sci, 10(8), 231083.
DOI
2023 Vartparonian, V., & Leu, S. (2023). Using social information improves individual foraging efficiency in sheep.
DOI
2023 Bartsch, S., van Wettere, W., Griffith, S., & Leu, S. (2023). Environmental Uncertainty Affects Movement and Space-use in Sheep.
DOI
2022 Michelangeli, M., Payne, E., Spiegel, O., Sinn, D., Leu, S. T., Gardner, M., & Sih, A. (2022). Personality, spatiotemporal ecological variation, and resident/explorer movement syndromes in the sleepy lizard. Journal of Animal Ecology, 91(1), 210-223.
DOI Scopus29 WoS29 Europe PMC13
2022 Wettere, W. V., Culley, S., Swinbourne, A., Leu, S., Lee, S., Weaver, A., . . . Westra, S. (2022). Current and predicted temperatures impair reproduction in the Australian sheep flock.
DOI
2022 Parker, T. H., Sousa, B., Leu, S. T., Edmondson, S., Foo, C., Strauss, A., . . . Jensen, W. (2022). Cultural conformity and persistence in Dickcissel song are higher in locations in which males show high site fidelity. Ornithology, 139(1), 1-17.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6
2022 Lewis Baida, B. E., Baumert, M., Kushwaha, A., Swinbourne, A. M., Leu, S. T., & Van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2022). Validation of indwelling vaginal sensor to monitor body temperature in ewes. Animal Biotelemetry, 10(1), 11 pages.
DOI Scopus3 WoS4
2022 Payne, E., Spiegel, O., Sinn, D. L., Leu, S. T., Gardner, M. G., Godfrey, S. S., . . . Sih, A. (2022). Intrinsic traits, social context, and local environment shape home range size and fidelity of sleepy lizards. Ecological Monographs, 92(3), 1-18.
DOI Scopus19 WoS20
2022 Lee, K. -H., Whiting, M. J. J., & Leu, S. T. T. (2022). Seasonal differences in parasite load in a short-lived lizard. AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY, 70(1), 36-41.
DOI
2021 Ikurior, S. J., Marquetoux, N., Leu, S. T., Corner‐thomas, R. A., Scott, I., & Pomroy, W. E. (2021). What are sheep doing? Tri‐axial accelerometer sensor data identify the diel activity pattern of ewe lambs on pasture. Sensors, 21(20), 6816-1-6816-16.
DOI Scopus21 WoS17 Europe PMC7
2021 Sah, P., Otterstatter, M., Leu, S. T., Leviyang, S., & Bansal, S. (2021). Revealing mechanisms of infectious disease spread through empirical contact networks. PLoS Computational Biology, 17(12), e1009604-1-e1009604-20.
DOI Scopus12 WoS11 Europe PMC12
2021 Leu, S. T., Quiring, K., Leggett, K. E. A., & Griffith, S. C. (2021). Consistent behavioural responses to heatwaves provide body condition benefits in rangeland sheep. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 234, 1-8.
DOI Scopus15 WoS14
2021 Lewis Baida, B. E., Swinbourne, A. M., Barwick, J., Leu, S. T., & van Wettere, W. H. E. J. (2021). Technologies for the automated collection of heat stress data in sheep. Animal Biotelemetry, 9(1), 4-1-4-15.
DOI Scopus48 WoS42
2021 Van Wettere, W. H. E. J., Kind, K. L., Gatford, K. L., Swinbourne, A. M., Leu, S. T., Hayman, P. T., . . . Walker, S. K. (2021). Review of the impact of heat stress on reproductive performance of sheep. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, 12(1), 26-1-26-18.
DOI Scopus148 WoS125 Europe PMC82
2021 Payne, E., Sinn, D. L., Spiegel, O., Leu, S. T., Gardner, M. G., Godfrey, S. S., . . . Sih, A. (2021). Consistent after all: behavioural repeatability in a long-lived lizard across a 6-year field study. Animal Behaviour, 174, 263-277.
DOI Scopus23 WoS22
2020 Armansin, N. C., Stow, A. J., Cantor, M., Leu, S. T., Klarevas-Irby, J. A., Chariton, A. A., & Farine, D. R. (2020). Social barriers in ecological landscapes: the social resistance hypothesis. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 35(2), 137-148.
DOI Scopus58 WoS60 Europe PMC33
2020 Payne, E., Sinn, D. L., Spiegel, O., Leu, S. T., Wohlfeil, C., Godfrey, S. S., . . . Sih, A. (2020). Consistent individual differences in ecto-parasitism of a long-lived lizard host. Oikos, 129(7), 11 pages.
DOI Scopus15 WoS15
2020 Wohlfeil, C. K., Godfrey, S. S., Leu, S. T., Clayton, J., & Gardner, M. G. (2020). Spatial proximity and asynchronous refuge sharing networks both explain patterns of tick genetic relatedness among lizards, but in different years. Austral Ecology, 45(4), 493-501.
DOI Scopus7 WoS7
2020 Leu, S. T., Sah, P., Krzyszczyk, E., Jacoby, A. -M., Mann, J., & Bansal, S. (2020). Sex, synchrony, and skin contact: integrating multiple behaviors to assess pathogen transmission risk. Behavioral Ecology, 31(3), 651-660.
DOI Scopus22 WoS22
2020 Ikurior, S. J., Pomroy, W. E., Scott, I., Corner-Thomas, R., Marquetoux, N., & Leu, S. T. (2020). Gastrointestinal nematode infection affects overall activity in young sheep monitored with tri-axial accelerometers. Veterinary Parasitology, 283, 1-6.
DOI Scopus29 WoS28 Europe PMC10
2019 Schilds, A., Mourier, J., Huveneers, C., Nazimi, L., Fox, A., & Leu, S. T. (2019). Evidence for non-random co-occurrences in a white shark aggregation. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY, 73(10), 12 pages.
DOI Scopus32 WoS33
2018 Leu, S. T., & Godfrey, S. S. (2018). Advances from the nexus of animal behaviour and pathogen transmission: new directions and opportunities using contact networks. Behaviour, 155(7-9), 567-583.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2018 Riley, J. L., Guidou, C., Fryns, C., Mourier, J., Leu, S. T., Noble, D. W. A., . . . Whiting, M. J. (2018). Isolation rearing does not constrain social plasticity in a family-living lizard. Behavioral Ecology, 29(3), 563-573.
DOI Scopus11 WoS11
2018 Spiegel, O., Sih, A., Leu, S. T., & Bull, C. M. (2018). Where should we meet? Mapping social network interactions of sleepy lizards shows sex-dependent social network structure. Animal Behaviour, 136, 207-215.
DOI Scopus31 WoS31
2018 Sih, A., Spiegel, O., Godfrey, S., Leu, S., & Bull, C. M. (2018). Integrating social networks, animal personalities, movement ecology and parasites: a framework with examples from a lizard. Animal Behaviour, 136, 195-205.
DOI Scopus72 WoS70
2018 Taggart, P. L., Leu, S. T., Spiegel, O., Godfrey, S. S., Sih, A., & Bull, C. M. (2018). Endure your parasites: Sleepy Lizard (Tiliqua rugosa) movement is not affected by their ectoparasites. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 96(12), 1309-1316.
DOI Scopus12 WoS12
2017 Sah, P., Leu, S. T., Cross, P. C., Hudson, P. J., & Bansal, S. (2017). Unraveling the disease consequences and mechanisms of modular structure in animal social networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 114(16), 4165-4170.
DOI Scopus142 WoS134 Europe PMC99
2017 Spiegel, O., Leu, S. T., Bull, C. M., & Sih, A. (2017). What's your move? Movement as a link between personality and spatial dynamics in animal populations. Ecology Letters, 20(1), 3-18.
DOI Scopus331 WoS325 Europe PMC172
2016 Spiegel, O., Leu, S. T., Sih, A., & Bull, C. M. (2016). Socially interacting or indifferent neighbours? Randomization of movement paths to tease apart social preference and spatial constraints. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 7(8), 971-979.
DOI Scopus107 WoS106
2016 Leu, S. T., & Bull, C. M. (2016). Artificial water point for livestock influences spatial ecology of a native lizard species. PLoS ONE, 11(1), e0147433.
DOI Scopus12 WoS13 Europe PMC6
2016 Leu, S. T., Jackson, G., Roddick, J. F., & Bull, C. M. (2016). Lizard movement tracks: variation in path re-use behaviour is consistent with a scent-marking function. PeerJ, 2016(3), e1844.
DOI Scopus16 WoS17 Europe PMC6
2016 Leu, S. T., Farine, D. R., Wey, T. W., Sih, A., & Bull, C. M. (2016). Environment modulates population social structure: experimental evidence from replicated social networks of wild lizards. Animal Behaviour, 111, 23-31.
DOI Scopus92 WoS90
2015 Leu, S. T., Burzacott, D., Whiting, M. J., & Bull, C. M. (2015). Mate familiarity affects pairing behaviour in a long-term monogamous lizard: evidence from detailed bio-logging and a 31-year field study. Ethology, 121(8), 760-768.
DOI Scopus37 WoS35
2015 Spiegel, O., Leu, S. T., Sih, A., Godfrey, S. S., & Bull, C. M. (2015). When the going gets tough: Behavioural type-dependent space use in the sleepy lizard changes as the season dries. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 282(1819), 20151768.
DOI Scopus100 WoS96 Europe PMC39
2013 Wohlfiel, C. K., Leu, S. T., Godfrey, S. S., & Bull, C. M. (2013). Testing the robustness of transmission network models to predict ectoparasite loads. One lizard, two ticks and four years. International Journal for Parasitology Parasites and Wildlife, 2(1), 271-277.
DOI Scopus18 Europe PMC5
2013 Leu, S. T., Whiting, M. J., & Mahony, M. J. (2013). Making Friends: Social Attraction in Larval Green and Golden Bell Frogs, Litoria aurea. Plos One, 8(2), 5 pages.
DOI Scopus13 WoS12 Europe PMC2
2011 Leu, S. T., Kappeler, P. M., & Bull, C. M. (2011). The influence of refuge sharing on social behaviour in the lizard Tiliqua rugosa. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 65(4), 837-847.
DOI Scopus36 WoS35 Europe PMC10
2011 Leu, S. T., Kappeler, P. M., & Bull, C. M. (2011). Pair-living in the absence of obligate biparental care in a lizard: Trading-off sex and food?. Ethology, 117(9), 758-768.
DOI Scopus16 WoS16
2010 Leu, S. T., Bashford, J., Kappeler, P. M., & Bull, C. M. (2010). Association networks reveal social organization in the sleepy lizard. Animal Behaviour, 79(1), 217-225.
DOI Scopus71 WoS66
2010 Leu, S. T., Kappeler, P. M., & Bull, C. M. (2010). Refuge sharing network predicts ectoparasite load in a lizard. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 64(9), 1495-1503.
DOI Scopus73 WoS71 Europe PMC36
2008 Hansbauer, M. M., Storch, I., Leu, S., Nieto-Holguin, J. P., Pimentel, R. G., Knauer, F., & Metzger, J. P. W. (2008). Movements of neotropical understory passerines affected by anthropogenic forest edges in the Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. Biological Conservation, 141(3), 782-791.
DOI Scopus60 WoS59 Europe PMC15

Year Citation
2017 Bull, C. M., Gardner, M. G., Sih, A., Spiegel, O., Godfrey, S. S., & Leu, S. T. (2017). Why Is Social Behavior Rare in Reptiles? Lessons From Sleepy Lizards. In M. Naguib, J. Podos, L. W. Simmons, L. Barrett, S. D. Healy, & M. Zuk (Eds.), Advances in the study of behavior (Vol. 49, pp. 1-26). Cambridge, MA; USA: Academic Press.
DOI Scopus21 WoS20

Year Citation
2024 Wierucka, K., Murphy, D., Watson, S. K., Falk, N., Fichtel, C., León, J., . . . Burkart, J. M. (2024). Same data, different results? Machine learning approaches in bioacoustics.
DOI
2024 Albery, G., Becker, D., Firth, J., De Moor, D., Ravindran, S., Silk, M., . . . Bansal, S. (2024). Density-dependent network structuring within and across wild animal systems.
DOI Europe PMC2
2023 Borthwick, Z., Quiring, K., Griffith, S., & Leu, S. (2023). Heat stress conditions affect the social network structure of free-ranging sheep.
DOI

2025               Long-term Trials of Drought Resilient Farming Practices Grant - DAFF

2025               South Australian Industry Fund - Livestock SA

2017 - 2020   DECRA Fellowship - ARC

2016               Postdoctoral Endeavour Research Fellowship - Australian Department of Education and Training

I am mostly teaching in the Bachelor of Science (Animal Behaviour) program.

-  Advanced Applications in Animal Behaviour III: course coordinator and lecturer

- Foundations in Animal Behaviour II: lecturer

- Principles in Animal Behaviour Welfare Ethics I: lecturer

- Evidence-based Veterinary Technology I: lecturer

- Science or Fiction I: lecturer (2022)

 

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2024 Co-Supervisor Heat tolerance and reproduction of rams and ewes that shed Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Sarah Myfanwy Hughes
2024 Co-Supervisor Roos on the move: Understanding kangaroo movement for improved conservation management. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Kathryn Ann Bugler
2024 Co-Supervisor Roos on the move: Understanding kangaroo movement for improved conservation management. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Kathryn Ann Bugler
2024 Co-Supervisor Heat tolerance and reproduction of rams and ewes that shed Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Sarah Myfanwy Hughes
2023 Principal Supervisor Understanding the effect of the social environment on conservation success Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Apoorva Gopinath
2023 Principal Supervisor Understanding the effect of the social environment on conservation success Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Apoorva Gopinath

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2020 - 2025 Co-Supervisor Thermoregulation in response to heat stress in sheep and impacts on fertility Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Bobbie Emilia Lewis Baida

Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
2018 - 2022 Principal Supervisor Bacterial and parasitic effects on the performance of lizards Macquarie University, University of Adelaide - Doctorate Full Time Ko-Huan Lee
2018 - 2019 Principal Supervisor The role of personality on spatial behaviour in merino sheep (Ovis aries). Macquarie University - Master - Molly Gilmour

Date Role Board name Institution name Country
2022 - ongoing Treasurer Executive Board Australasian Society for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASSAB) Australia

Date Role Committee Institution Country
2024 - ongoing Chair SAVS HDR/Honours committee School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Australia
2021 - ongoing Member SAVS Research Committee School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences Australia
2020 - 2023 Board Member Executive Committee The Animal Welfare Collaborative Australia

Date Role Editorial Board Name Institution Country
2024 - ongoing Associate Editor New Zealand Journal of Zoology Royal Society Te Apārangi New Zealand

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