Curriculum Vitae
EDUCATION
| 1999- 2006 | PhD, Biological Psychology. University of Wisconsin-Madison Thesis title: Behavioral ecology of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) on Rubondo Island: Habitat, diet, grouping and ranging at a release site. Advisors: Dr. Charles T. Snowdon and Dr. Michael A. Huffman |
| 1993- 1997 | BA, Neuroscience. Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio |
| Fall 1996 | Tanzania Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Study Abroad Program. School for International Training, Brattleboro, Vermont |
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
| 2011- | Research Scientist, Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute For Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany. Conducting captive and field studies of bonobo behavioral endocrinology |
| 2009- 2011 | Visiting Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Binghamton University. Teaching responsibilities included graduate and undergraduate courses in: Bio 480/680S Current Topics in Evolutionary Theory Bio 570 Evolution and Human Affairs Bio 480/680Q Hormones and Social behavior Bio 375 Animal Behavior |
| 2008- 2009 | Adjunct Faculty, Biology Department, Bard College Taught an undergraduate course and lab in Introduction to Animal Behavior |
PREVIOUS RESEARCH EXPERIENCE
| 2006- 2009 | Postdoctoral Research, Biology Department, University of Pennsylvania. Topic: Mechanisms and function of social bonds in chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus). Advisors: Drs. Dorothy Cheney & Robert Seyfarth |
| 2001- 2006 | Dissertation Research, Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Thesis title: Behavioral Ecology of Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) on Rubondo Island, Tanzania. Advisors: Dr. Charles Snowdon, University of Wisconsin-Madison & Dr. Michael Huffman, Kyoto University |
| 1999- 2001 | Graduate Research, Psychology Department, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Topic: Influence of social dynamics on social learning in cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus). Advisor: Dr. Charles Snowdon |
| 1997-1999 | Senior Lab Technician, Neurology Department, University of Minnesota. Topic: Memory deficits in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimers Disease. Principal Investigator: Dr. Karen Hsiao |
| Fall 1996 | Senior Research Project, Oberlin College and School for International Training, Brattleboro VT. Topic: Responses of olive baboons (Papio hamadryas anubis) and Sykes monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis) to tourist presence at Lake Manyara National Park, Tanzania. Advisor: Dr. Catherine McCormick |
GRANTS AND AWARDS
| 2011 | VolkswagenStiftung Evolutionary Biology Postdoctorate Fellowship Funding to support the project “Social bonds without genetic ties: a behavioral endocrine model in bonobos (Pan paniscus).” |
| 2011 | Wenner-Gren Foundation Research Grant Grant to support field research on bonobo behavioral endocrinology |
| 2010 | L.S.B. Leakey Foundation Research Grant Grant to support field research on bonobo behavioral endocrinology |
| 2010 | Evolutionary Studies Program Research Grant Grant to support research on the behavioral endocrinology of female social bonds in rodents and primates |
| 2010 | Binghamton University Individual Development Award Award in support of collaborative research with Dr. Nicole Cameron, Psychology Dept, Binghamton University, to develop a hormone assay lab |
| 2003 | L.S.B. Leakey Foundation Research Grant Grant to support dissertation fieldwork on Rubondo Island, Tanzania |
| 2002 | Ruth Dickie Research Scholarship for Graduate Women in Science. Grant to support dissertation fieldwork on Rubondo Island, Tanzania |
| 2001 | Young Researchers Travel Scholarship, Support for African/Asian Great Apes (SAGA) & Hayashibara Museum. Travel award to speak at 4th International SAGA Symposium in Okayama, Japan |
| 2001 | Graduate Research Grant, Animal Behaviour Society Grant to support a pilot study on Rubondo Island, Tanzania |
| 2000 | APAGS Forest Honaker Scholarship for Masters Research, American Psychological Association. Award in recognition of research on social learning in cotton-top tamarins |
STUDENT ADVISING
| 2010-2011 | Advisor on Senior Honors Thesis of Rachel Perlman, Biology Department, Binghamton University. Thesis Title: “Behavioral and hormonal responses of chacma baboons to a seasonal flood plain environment” |
| 2006-2007 | Co-advisor on Masters Thesis of Marlies Heesen, Oxford Brookes University, Great Britain. Thesis title: “Feeding competition among chacma baboons in the Okavango Delta, Botswana” |
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
American Society of Primatologists
American Association of Physical Anthropologists
Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology
