Research Interests
Animal Behavior
Primate and carnivore feeding behavior through examination of ingested food size
The relationship between yawning and masticatory gapes in primates and carnivorans
Muscle Anatomy and Function
Masticatory Muscle Architecture and Diet
The relationship between masticatory muscle properties and diet (frugivory, folivory, hypercarnivory, durophagy, and food mechanical properties)
The scaling of mass, physiological cross sectional area (PCSA), and fascicle length of masticatory muscles as they relate to gape and bite force reconstruction
Limb Musculature and Locomotion
The relationship between limb musculature and locomotion patterns and postures in primates
Osteology, Dental Morphology, and Function
Impacts of captivity on skull morphology and oral health
Predictors of diets and masticatory abilities
Paleontology
Reconstruction of diet in extinct primates and carnivorans
"Weird bones" of the fossil record
Ossicles
Hyoids
Paleoart (artistic reconstructions of the live appearance of extinct species)
Public Involvement
The role of informal public science learning sites on engaging students and the public in STEM disciplines.
This work is done in collaboration with Dr. Kelly Lynn Mulvey's Social Development Lab