I am a cognitive ecologist interested in the evolution and adaptive function of cognitive abilities. I conducted my PhD (2020) research in Dr. Kay Holekamp's lab at Michigan State University, USA and in 2021 I started a postdoctoral position with Dr. Marta Manser at the University of Zurich, Switzerland.
My postdoctoral research focuses on meerkat communication and the function of 'move' calls on directional decision-making. I am using playback experiments with habituated meerkats at the Kalahari Research Centre in South Africa. My dissertation research focused on the individual, social, and ecological causes of intraspecific variation in spotted hyena cognition and its consequences. I investigated the role that social factors like group size and rank have on the development of inhibitory control in wild spotted hyenas. I also traveled to Ethiopia to study innovation in urban spotted hyenas in order to better understand how animals might use abilities like innovation to adapt to urbanization and human-induced rapid environmental change. View my publications here or visit my profile at Research Gate or Google Scholar for more information about my research. Contact me directly at [email protected]. |