I completed my undergraduate degree at Queen's University, Canada majoring in Biology (2007). My undergraduate thesis in animal physiology investigated the possibility of harvesting antibodies using rainbow trout. I then went on to pursue an MSc at McMaster University, Canada under the supervision of Dr. Sigal Balshine in the Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, and Dr. Katie Gilmour in the Department of Biology at the University of Ottawa, Canada (2009). My MSc involved characterising the stress response of a cooperatively breeding African cichlid (Neolamprologus pulcher), as well as looking at the effects of maternal stress on egg characteristics. More specifically, we looked at differences in cortisol levels between dominant and subordinate fish in relation to behaviour, and how subordinate fish may influence egg production of an acutely stressed dominant female (see publications below).

During my MSc I became increasingly interested in the field of Evolutionary Psychology and especially how human and non-human primate dominance is governed. As an extension of my MSc, and branching off into the realm of humans, I am now pursuing a PhD in Psychology at the University of Stirling under the supervision of Dr. Anthony Little, which will examine human and non-human dominance. I am funded by a PGS-D3 scholarship from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.