Overview
I am broadly interested in behavioral ecology, centered around animal innovation, social learning and cultural transmission. My dissertation research will focus on understanding the ecological significance of social learning and innovation. I plan to examine evolutionary selection pressures, functional benefits, and how these behaviors influence some of the mechanisms underlying population dynamics such as growth, dispersal, and distribution. I will investigate these questions through lab and field experiments in combination with modeling techniques and the help of various taxa, including the Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) and Eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus).