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I am an evolutionary biologist with a background in primate behavioral ecology and comparative anatomy/physiology. I study the evolution of communication in hominins using nonhuman primates and other mammals as models. I am interested in coevolutionary relationships between behavior, ecology and morphology.
My research focuses on the evolutionary ecology of acoustic communication and the auditory (hearing) sense. Current topics of primary focus are (see research page):
- Comparative auditory sensitivity using the minimally invasive auditory brainstem response (ABR) method (in collaboration with Nathaniel Dominy at Dartmouth University and Andrew Cunningham at Harvard University)
- Comparative and functional morphology of the bony labyrinth (in collaboration with Fred Spoor, here at the MPI-EVA)
I also collaborate with Mary Glenn at Humboldt State University to investigate genetic drift in guenon monkeys.
I obtained my Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, under the direction of Alison Galloway, Don Brenneis, Mary Glenn, and Nathanial Dominy. My doctoral research focused on development of a portable ABR system for testing the hearing of primates in the lab and in the field. Before coming to MPI-EVA, I was a lecturer in biological anthropology at Humboldt State University in Northern California.
Department of Human Evolution
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
D-04103 Leipzig
Germany
| email: | marissa_ramsier eva.mpg.de |
