Julia Espinosa, Ph.D.

Hello! I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Department of Psychology at York University and the Connected Minds Program. I am also a Research Associate with Harvard University's Department of Human Evolutionary Biology and the Canine Brains Project. My research asks how brains, genes, and experiences shape cognition, affect, and behaviour, using an accessible animal model that evolved to share the human ecological niche: The domestic dog. Also, dogs are the best and I love working with them to understand how they perceive the world and generate evidence that promotes healthy, happy dog-human relationships. 

My background is in neuroscience (BSc, University of Michigan), animal behaviour and welfare (MSc University of Guelph), and comparative cognitive development (MA & PhD, University of Toronto). I use a range of tools and techniques from these disciplines to explore individual differences and biological bases of behaviour in diverse dog populations. At York, I collaborate with Dr. Suzanne MacDonald and lead an interdisciplinary team of researchers to investigate how socioecological factors impact free-ranging dog pack dynamics (i.e., dogs without designated caregivers) and explore the potential for naturally emerging social norms in communities where dogs and humans share space and resources. With collaborators at CUNY (Dr. Kristin Andrews), the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior (Drs. Iain Couzin and Adwait Deshpande), and the Nature Conservation Foundation of India (Dr. Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi) we collect drone-mounted videos of free-ranging dogs and develop machine learning models to analyze social networks and information transfer. 

At Harvard, I collaborate with Dr. Erin Hecht on a project identifying the brain phenotypes, genetic risk factors, and behavioural profiles associated with early life adversity in dogs. We're actively collecting neuroimaging data and DNA (cheek swabs) with our colleagues to understand how heritable predispositions shape neuroanatomy and how both of these biological factors are connected to fearful and aggressive behaviour. 

Both of these lines of research converge to help us understand the evolution and development of dog behaviour at multiple levels: 1) as a collective shaped by the cultural contexts and social norms in the Global North vs South, and 2) at the individual level as a result of natural and artificial selection pressures and life history.