Sarah Kovalaskas
I have broad interests in the evolution of primate social behavior, especially as it relates to the origins of human cognition and culture. Over the past ten years, I have been involved in research with humans and several different primate species including Bolivian gray-eared titi monkeys (Callicebus donacophilus) in Bolivia, bonobos (Pan paniscus) in the […]
Nicole Furgala
I am broadly interested in the evolutionary origins of social cognition and Theory of Mind using interdisciplinary methods in evolutionary anthropology and comparative psychology. Using behavioral experiments and eye tracking technology, I am investigating the perspective-taking capacities of captive tufted capuchin monkeys at the Language Research Center (GSU). By translating experiments into the wild, I […]
Evan Cunningham
My primary research interest is studying the endocrinological mechanisms underlying social behaviors, with particular attention to how these hormonal building blocks enable behavioral flexibility across different species and socioecological conditions. I will be working with wild capuchins at the Taboga field site in Costa Rica as well as captive capuchins at GSU’s Language Research Center […]
Giuliana Centofanti
I am interested in sociality and development in wild chimpanzees, specifically within the mother-infant context. During my graduate studies, I plan to study orphan outcomes and adoption as part of a larger project on sociality and variation in development. I am particularly interested in quantifying outcomes of development by directly and indirectly measuring fitness. Creating […]
Federico Sánchez Vargas
I am broadly interested in the evolution of social cognition, the potentially reciprocal relationship between different domains of cognition and positioning in the social hierarchy, and the ecological factors and proximate neuroendocrine mechanisms that may help explain social and cognitive complexity in capuchins. Why have capuchins convergently evolved to be the “apes of the New […]
Bre Myers
I’m interested in behavioral strategies that may influence infection risk or severity of disease in African great apes, such as avoiding other individuals or groups, avoiding contaminants, and ingestion of plants or other substances that mitigate the risk and/or symptoms of infection. I would like to explore this through the lens of life history and […]
Amber Shaw
Amber Shaw is a PhD student in the Department of Anthropology at Emory University, specializing in biological anthropology with a focus on aging and disease prevention. Her interdisciplinary research bridges behavioral science and molecular biology, utilizing non-invasive techniques and biomarkers to investigate aging in wild chimpanzee populations at Gombe Stream National Park. Amber’s work explores […]