I worked as Dr. Brosnan’s research assistant from 2010-2012, after graduating from Emory University with a BA in Psychology and a focus on animal behavior. While working at Georgia State University, I contributed primarily to studies with the capuchin monkeys; including facial recognition, gambling, and inequity aversion experiments. I also began an observational data collection project on the baseline behavior of all three capuchin groups. During my time at GSU, I interned at the Atlanta Zoo in their Program Animals department. After experiencing both the research and zoo work, I was inspired to pursue a master’s degree in animal behavior.

I am currently a master’s candidate in Hunter College’s Animal Behavior and Conservation program in New York City. I am a member of Dr. Diana Reiss’s lab and work with Dr. Reiss and Dr. David Powell (at the Wildlife Conservation Society) on animal personality research. My master’s thesis focuses on identifying personality dimensions of California Sea Lions and how those manifest themselves in a training environment. My main area of interest is animal welfare in captivity, specifically how to address individual differences to improve welfare. In the future I hope to pursue applied animal behavior to in order to combine my love of research with impacting animals on an individual basis.