General research

I study motherhood, care, and early life across primates to understand how mothers and their offspring navigate changing ecological and social environments. My work centers multispecies caregiving systems — the behaviors, relationships, and physiological processes that support development, resilience, and well-being across generations.

Doctoral research

My PhD research focuses on Central Himalayan langurs (Semnopithecus schistaceus) living in fragmented mountain landscapes. I investigate how mother–infant dyads respond to anthropogenic pressures such as food access shifts, human-wildlife interfaces, domestic dog threats, and environmental noise.

I explore:

• Behavioral strategies of mothers and infants in changing environments

• Social buffering — how affiliative support shapes stress and resilience

• Physiology of care, including gut microbiome and endocrine dynamics

• Impacts on infant development, maternal effort, and survival

By integrating behavioral, physiological, and community perspectives, my work reveals how care systems shape adaptation and long-term viability in human-shared ecosystems.

Comparative & Developing Research 

• Sociality & conservation of humans and alloprimates in religious spaces (PI: Elizabeth Coggeshall)

• Body condition chart development for accessible health checks (PI: Elizabeth Coggeshall)

• Biocultural analysis of of Aymara women’s breastfeeding and infant feeding practices under conditions of economic and climatic uncertainty (PI: Dr. Virginia Vitzthum)

• How orphanhood influences stress physiology and microbial patterns in elephants of Zambia (PI: Dr. Daniella Chusyd)  

• Pesticide and chemical impacts on Ugandan primate health (PI: Dr. Mike Wasserman)

Field Sites

• Garwahl Himalayas, India - Himalayan Langur Project

• Northern & Eastern Thailand - MSc Site & Dr. Mike Wasserman 

• Kibale, Uganda - Dr. Mike Wasserman