I recently graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Vertebrate Zoology. My interest in primate cognition and behavior led me to connect with Dr. Marcela Benitez at Emory University, whose research on cognition, behavior, and same-sex sexual behavior in non-human primates closely aligns with my own interests. Through this connection, I was introduced to Evan Cunningham, a PhD student in Dr. Benitez’s lab, and joined the team in September as a research assistant on his social learning project.

As a cognition assistant, I support platform experiments and code behavioral data using BORIS. I also assist with collecting behavioral observations, gathering biological samples, and organizing datasets for ongoing research efforts.