Originally from the US, I have lived in the UK for over 15 years. I obtained my BSc in zoology from North Carolina State University in 2008, and obtained my PhD in psychology from the University of Stirling in 2015.

Since 2018, I have been working as a full-time lecturer at the University of Hull. My research is published in world-leading journals for animal behaviour and cognition, and attracts major global media attention, including the BBC, The Guardian, TIME, and National Geographic. I have obtained over £800,000 in grants as a P.I. and co-investigator, including grants from the UKRI’s Natural Environment Research Council, Leverhulme Trust, and the prestigious Newton Fund. In 2022, I was awarded a ‘Research Excellence Award’ from the University of Hull.

Since 2018, I have been studying the behaviour and problem-solving abilities of wild carnivores, such as raccoons in the United States, and foxes, badgers, and pine martens in the United Kingdom. I am the founder and co-director of the recently-established Hull Animal Behaviour Centre, which is comprised of research programmes from over 7 countries. I am the convenor of the Behaviour & Ecology Research Group at the University of Hull, which was establish in 2023 in light of my team’s growing track record for research on wildlife psychology and conservation. I am currently an associate editor for Royal Society Publishing, and a member of the Scientific Advisory Group of the UK’s national Badger Trust.

 In terms of teaching, I have a postgraduate certificate in higher education practice and over twelve years of experience teaching university students. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and I was awarded an Honorary Lectureship at the University of Stirling in 2018. Over the years, I have written, developed, and managed modules on a range of topics related to animal/human psychology and wildlife conservation. 

At the University of Hull, I presently supervise 2 PhD students and 4 MSc students. I oversee the BSc Psychology research dissertation programme and teach on topics related to animal behaviour, cognition, and human-nature connections. I have a passion for teaching and routinely incorporate my own research experiences with wild primates, cetaceans, and carnivores into my lectures to help students engage with theoretical material on a deeper and more applied level.

For more information, check out my University of Hull staff profile: