University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin National Primate Research Center
Madison, WI
My broad scientific interests are to investigate how early experiences and individual differences intersect to affect behavioral adjustment and influence long-term health and welfare outcomes. I use a lifespan approach to investigate the effects of environmental and experiential influences on the development and maintenance of species-typical behavior of the nonhuman primates under our care. Over the course of my career, I have employed a comparative cross-species approach to understand how the environmental experience modulates biological mechanisms and subsequent behavioral expression. With a broad background in biological psychology and behavior, I have the specific training and expertise and have developed novel and effective methods to measure and assess behavioral and health outcomes in large populations of nonhuman primates. I currently head the Behavior Unit at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center where our charge is to insure the psychological welfare of three species of primates: Rhesus Macaques, Cynomolgus Macaques and Common Marmosets. We meet this responsibility by providing for the animals’ species-specific social needs, we orchestrate the enrichment and enhancement plan providing environments that stimulate curiosity, invite engagement and sustain interaction through recruiting species-specific capacities.
Tuesday, December 5, 2023
2:30 PM – 3:45 PM ET