I am a biologist interested in the evolution of sociality. My research asks why social relationships are formed and how they are maintained. Within groups, individuals differ in their tendencies to interact with others and in how deeply embedded they are in their social networks. Investigating these differences allows me to determine the genetic and physiological causes of sociality, as well as its impact on health, life-history, and fitness.
My work focuses on highly gregarious, group-living animals. I work mostly with data collected from wild or free-ranging groups, and specialise on study systems with uniquely long-term datasets. I use a diverse set of methods, including techniques from ethology, evolutionary biology, quantitative and functional genetics, life-history evolution, endocrinology, comparative psychology, and cognitive neuroscience.
My work focuses on highly gregarious, group-living animals. I work mostly with data collected from wild or free-ranging groups, and specialise on study systems with uniquely long-term datasets. I use a diverse set of methods, including techniques from ethology, evolutionary biology, quantitative and functional genetics, life-history evolution, endocrinology, comparative psychology, and cognitive neuroscience.