In my element collecting data at the Awajishima Monkey Centre on Awaji Island, Japan.
My start. I fell in love with primates a number of years ago, as a naive linguistic's student at Glendon College, York University. Having begun volunteering for two incredible professors, before I knew it I was being shipped off to Des Moines, IA to volunteer as a summer intern, working with Kanzi and his bonobo family.
The experience changed my life. Subsequently, I spent three summers working with the apes, care staff and researchers in what is perhaps the best Midwestern city (that is my completely biased opinion). I have been fortunate to interact with another species in ways that many only dream about.
I have studied Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) and participated in a number of international conferences, presenting linguistic analyses for ape-human discourse. I have spent multiple summers in the field, participating in research and data collection within ecological, behavioural and conservation contexts.
Rudy, an adult male Japanese macaque, defends resources against a Sika deer during a trial in my multi-destination foraging experiment.
About me
Welcome! I'm so happy you stumbled onto my site. I am currently working on my M.Sc. under the supervision of Dr. Sarah E. Turner at Concordia University.
I am excited to further pursue a career in Primatology. I am interested in primate ecology, particularly in social relationships and behavioural adaptations.
My research will focus on decision-making strategies in foraging by a large group of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) on Awaji Island, Japan. I am curious to learn which social and non-social variables most influence the decision-making patterns observed.
Nyota eating an ice surprise (ice with hidden berries!)
I recently returned from Japan, where I spent the summer collecting field data that will be used for the analysis in my Master’s degree. I was lucky to spend three months among the Japanese macaques, observing their behaviour as they voluntarily participated in my multi-destination route foraging experiment.