Faculty

I am a biological anthropologist focusing on field studies of wild primates. My research interests focus on the intersecting aspects of primate social behavior, ecology, genetics, and conservation, with a particular focus on Neotropical taxa. I have conducted behavioral and population studies of Central American black howlers (Alouatta pigra) in Belize, white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus) in Costa Rica, and mantled howlers (Alouatta palliata) in both Ecuador and Costa Rica.

My current research focuses on a population of mantled howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata palliata) inhabiting the fragmented forest at La Pacifica, Costa Rica. La Pacifica is a 1330 hectares privately owned piece of semi-forested land located in the Guanacaste province of northwestern Costa Rica. My research objectives are threefold: 1) Investigating how individuals navigate the complex interplay of competition, tolerance, and cooperation while living in complex social groups; 2) Understanding the relationship between vulnerability to and presence of infectious disease and primate health; and 3) Using molecular primatology to investigate the extent to which genetic relatedness impacts individual fitness and social structure, as well as to examine the genetic population structure within fragmented primate populations like La Pacifica. Ultimately, I hope to gain a better understanding of those factors constraining social flexibility in primates, and to use those data to inform future conservation management plans.

Check out my recently co-authored publication on the unique phenomenon of capuchin monkeys abducting howler monkey babies in Panama! Here are some links to the cool research, one to the paper in Current Biology, a newsy article, and the one posted on IC (which includes the link to the Stephen Colbert treatment!). Note that we are not conducting this research in my lab, it was all analyzed by my co-authors in Germany. But it's super interesting to see this distinctive behavior!

My teaching philosophy emphasizes an active student engagement by promoting critical thinking and scientific rigor, which is achieved by initiating classroom discussion and student involvement. Through my research, I hope to bring new experiential learning opportunities for those students broadly interested in biological anthropology, and more specifically in primate behavior, genetics, and conservation. I encourage students interested in gaining research experience in primatology to contact me to discuss their interests and career objectives. I offer experiential learning opportunities for students in the field at my study site in Costa Rica, and in the genetics laboratory students may work as a research laboratory assistant.