Biography

I am a member of the Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology at the Department of Psychology, having joined Portsmouth in 2022. Prior to this, worked at the University of Lincoln and held postdoc positions at The University of Tokyo (Japan), SOKENDAI (Japan), and Emory University (USA). I completed my PhD in Animal Behaviour at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain), have a MSc in Animal Behaviour and a BSc in Biology and Zoology.

Research interests

My primary research interest focuses on the social and emotional skills that animals employ when making decisions about when, and with whom, to interact. This interest has taken me to explore aspects of sociality, conflict resolution, cooperation, and empathy driven behaviours in a range of animals including carnivores, primates and rodents. In recent years, I have become strongly interested in applying fundamental knowledge in animal social complexity to the welfare of both captive and wild animals. I am co-director of the Macaca Maura Project.

Teaching responsibilities

I teach on our undergraduate programmes of BSc Psychology and Forensic Psychology courses. I coordinate the Level 4 module Applying Psychological Research Skills. I am a tutor for the Level 4 module 'Exploring Psychology' and the Level 5 module 'Professional Development and Employability'. I supervise Level 6 students for their final year dissetation, as well as PhD students and Masters students.