Gal earned her PhD from the University of St Andrews in 2023 for her work on the social dynamics and gestural communication of wild chimpanzees. At the COMPARE lab, she is studying signals of positive affect and synchronization of multimodal signals in wild chimpanzees.

Daan earned his PhD in 2023 from the University of Antwerp for his work on the function of positive emotions in bonobos. At the COMPARE lab, he is studying virtual tool use and the impact of positive emotions on cognition and sociality in great apes. He is currently working with bonobos at the Planckendael Zoo and is developing new projects with chimpanzees and orangutans at the Indianapolis Zoo.

We’re hiring a postdoc to lead the work on dog cognition. If you’re interested in applying, please reach out to Erica Cartmill by email: ericac(at)iu.edu

Jina is a developmental psychology PhD student at UCLA. Her work examines the relationship between spatial language and cognition and the impact of social relationships with adults on children’s learning. Jina is co-supervised by Catherine Sandhofer, and is part of the UCLA Language and Cognitive Development Lab.

Emma is a PhD student in Anthropology. She studies social cognition in great apes. Her current projects focus on playful teasing in wild chimpanzees and the ways zoo-housed chimpanzees perceive and interact with human visitors. Before joining the lab in 2024, Emma graduated from Grinnell College and was the lab manager for Brian Hare’s Canine Cognition Center at Duke University.

Kelsey is a PhD student in Anthropology. Her interests include social cognition, non-verbal communication, and development in great apes and human children. Prior to joining the lab, she graduated from Indiana University with a B.S. in Cognitive Science and studied math concept development in young children. 

Sophia is a PhD student in anthropology. She is interested in social cognition, iconicity, gesture production and comprehension in neurotypical and atypical development, and language evolution. Prior to joining the lab, Sophia received her bachelor's in linguistics from UCSB and her MSc (Research) in cognitive neuroscience from Radboud University in the Netherlands. 

Ying is a PhD student in Cognitive Science. She studies concept formation and reasoning in children. She plans to expand this work to other species during her PhD work. Before joining the lab in 2024, Ying studied at the National University of Singapore where she completed a study of social cognition in dolphins.

nbaskin@iu.edu

Noah is our lab Manager. He is interested in the development of self-concept in early childhood and across species. Before joining the lab, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Psychological & Brain Sciences from UCSB in 2025. His previous research experience includes working as a research assistant at the Centre for Early Childhood Cognition at the University of Copenhagen, where he studied curiosity in early childhood.

Wildlife Education Coordinator

Katie's wildlife journey started at the Ledón-Rettig lab where she worked as an undergraduate researcher studying spadefoot toads. After, she became a state and federally permitted wildlife rehabilitator working with almost all native species. While she is passionate about all animals, eastern box turtles and opossums have a special place in her heart. Also pictured is Kaos, an ambassador Harris Hawk and her previous partner in conservation education.

Wildlife Outreach

Angel is a registered veterinary technician and in training to become a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in Indiana. She has a strong passion for opossum behavior and medicine. Her interests center on public education and outreach focused on coexistence strategies with a variety of wildlife species.

Wildlife Outreach

Grace is an Indiana-licensed wildlife rehabilitator with a strong interest in eastern North American bat behavior and field ecology. Her current work centers on the rehabilitation and release of native bat species, along with public education and outreach focused on bat conservation. She also uses her background to guide humane, behavior-based approaches to resolving human-wildlife conflicts, particularly with squirrels, roosting bats, and opossums.

Katie is a recent graduate of Indiana University with a B.S. in Animal Behavior and an Anthropology minor. Her research interests include primate behavior/development/cognition, wildlife conservation and rehabilitation, animal welfare, ethnoprimatology, social learning, and animal communication. She is a previous volunteer at the Indianapolis Zoo and a former Chimpanzee Behavior Intern at Chimp Haven, a sanctuary for retired biomedical research chimpanzees. 

Addie is a senior studying Biology and Environmental & Sustainability Studies at Indiana University. She is interested in studying and working with animals, particularly primates. After graduation, she plans to work as a field researcher to contribute to wildlife conservation and science communication.

Isabel is a senior studying Environmental Science and minoring in Animal Behavior at Indiana University. She is interested in studying and working with great apes for conservation and behavioral research. After graduation she is planning on completing a post-baccalaureate and pursuing graduate school for primatology. Her research interest includes primate communication, social bonding, and human-nonhuman ape interactions. 

Sanya is a sophomore studying Clinical Psychology at Indiana University. Her academic interests include working with children, with a focus on behavior, cognition, and developmental processes, particularly within a neurological and neuropsychological framework. She volunteers teaching underprivileged children and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Neuropsychology after graduation.

Calvin is majoring in Animal behavior and Biology. He has previously worked in the Dr. Ketterson lab on research preventing bird window strikes on campus buildings. He plans to work in research or fieldwork on endangered species conservation. In his free time, he volunteers across many places like IU-RTP, hilltop gardens, and local parks across Bloomington for restoration and protection of native species.

Sydney is a sophomore studying Human Biology at Indiana University. She is particularly interested in cognitive and behavioral research with children and dogs. Her research focuses include animal communication, behavioral interactions, and cognitive processes. After graduation, she plans to attend Physician Assistant school, with the goal of working with children in the future. 

Seamus is a junior studying Animal Behavior at Indiana University. He is interested in working with and studying great apes, focusing on playful behavior and response to auditory stimuli. After graduation, he is planning to attend graduate school for Behavioral Ecology and conduct research under the same field.

Victoria is a sophomore studying Human Biology while minoring in Psychology and Spanish at Indiana University. She is interested in studying animals and working with children while focusing on cognition and behavior. Her research interests include animal-human interaction and communication, and how these relationships influence behavioral processes.

Eloise is a recent graduate of Earlham College, where they majored in Anthrozoology: Human-Animal Studies and minored in Art and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. They are especially curious about how dogs perceive the world and our bond with them. They want to learn more about how we can improve our communication with dogs, as dog training is one of their passions. Before joining the COMPARE lab, Eloise worked a summer at the Boston College Canine Cognition Center. They plan to pursue a PhD in animal cognition in the future.

Husan is a junior studying Human Biology while minoring in Chemistry and General Music Studies at Indiana University. She is interested in studying cognitive behavior in children and animals (specifically in great apes) . Her research interests include cognitive and developmental processes in children and social interactions of primates. She volunteer’s with children with chronic illnesses and disabilities, and after graduation, she plans to attend Medical School with a goal of working with children in the future. 

Kiahna is a sophomore at Indiana University studying Human Biology with a minor in English. Her academic interests lie at the intersection of biological systems and scientific narrative, with a particular focus on cognitive development and the evolution of health. Beyond her research, she is a member of the IU Union Board STEM committee and plans to pursue medical and graduate school after graduation.

POSTDOC

Johanna was a postdoc in the lab in 2019. She studies social cognition and inference in great apes. She is currently a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

PHD STUDENT

Lilit earned her PhD in linguistic anthropology from UCLA in 2024. She studies the language policies and practices of Armenian preschools and the political economy of post-Soviet Armenia. Lilit received funding from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. She currently teaches at the American University of Armenia and the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography in Yaravan.

PHD STUDENT

Brenda was a biological anthropology PhD student at the UCLA LING lab. She is interested in animal minds, emotions, ethics, care, and moral stances regarding animals. Her work focuses on social behavior and infant care in langur monkeys in China. She is currently a PhD student at Kyoto University. She is also an artist.

POSTDOC

Isabelle was a postdoc in the lab from 2020-2022. She studies social cognition and physical cognition in great apes and Goffin’s cockatoos. She is currently a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior.

POSTDOC

Laura was a postdoc in the lab in 2023. She studies social cognition in great apes and human children. She was a UC President's Postdoc at Berkeley and has now joined the faculty at UC Santa Barbara. Information about her lab can be found here.

PHD STUDENT

Carolyn was a linguistic anthropology PhD student in the UCLA LING lab. Her work explores the intersection of political economy, expertise, race, immigration, gender, and class within the context of workplace interactions in Los Angeles professional kitchens. Carolyn received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to support her research. Her current project highlights the ways expertise is embodied during collaborative tasks. She plans to graduate from UCLA in 2027.

PHD STUDENT

Andrew received his PhD in biological anthropology PhD from UCLA in 2024. He studies the relationship between how people talk about and reason about the metal states of others. He has conducted field work in Ecuador, and his dissertation project compared language across English, Spanish, Arabic, and Korean as part of the Geography of Philosophy Project.

PHD STUDENT

Sasha received her PhD in biological anthropology from UCLA in 2024. Her work focuses on the cognitive effects of laughter in great apes and the evolution of play signaling. Sasha received an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to support her research. She has worked at Lomas Barbudal, the Ape Initiative, and the CNPRC. She is currently a postdoc in Herman Pontzer’s lab at Duke.