{"id":661,"date":"2022-01-28T20:46:20","date_gmt":"2022-01-28T20:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/animal-cognition-ualberta\/wordpress\/?page_id=661"},"modified":"2026-01-28T20:42:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T20:42:49","slug":"people","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.psych.ualberta.ca\/animal-cognition-ualberta\/wordpress\/?page_id=661","title":{"rendered":"people"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Principal investigator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Dr. Lauren Guillette<\/strong> (she\/her)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024 Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta (Canada)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2022 Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Ecology (Tier 2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2018-2024 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta (Canada)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2018-2021 Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Biology, University of St Andrews (UK)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2015 BBSRC Anniversary Future Leader Fellow, School of Biology, University of St Andrews (UK)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2013 Royal Society Newton International Fellow, School of Biology, University of St Andrews (UK)2012 PhD University of Alberta (Canada)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2007 MSc Mount Holyoke College (USA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2002 BA Ripon College (USA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ORCID:<\/a> https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8777-6543<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scopus Author ID: 35237420800<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ResearcherID: K-8154-2013<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter: @laurenguillette<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bluesky: @laurenguillette.bsky.social<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Post-doctoral researcher<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Dr. Ben Whittaker<\/strong> (they\/them)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2022- Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Psychology, University of Alberta (Canada)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021 Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph (Canada)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2019 PhD, Department of Biosciences, Swansea University (UK)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2012 MSc Biodiversity and Conservation, University of Leeds (UK)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2011 BSc Ecology and Environmental Biology, University of Leeds (UK)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ben is interested in understanding how personality affects the way individuals interact with each other, specifically in terms of communication strategies and trade-offs between cooperation and conflict. Their previous research focused on how cleaner fish interact with salmon in aquaculture and developed tools for identifying commercially desired behaviours. Ben also enjoys podcasting, creating art, and being in nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website: https:\/\/bawhittaker.weebly.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Ph.D. students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

M.Sc. students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Steven \u201cRocky\u201d Baker <\/strong>(he\/him)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall 2025, Department of Psychology MSc Student, University of Alberta (Canada)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023 BA Psychology, University of South Alabama (USA)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023 BSc Mathematics, University of South Alabama (USA<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Rocky has worked on projects involving several different species, including dogs, monkeys, and hermit crabs. He is primarily interested in how animals learn and solve problems and the relationship between these processes. Outside of his academic pursuits, Rocky enjoys hiking, camping, sports, and playing with his cats<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sofia Garrido Villegas <\/strong>(she\/her)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall 2024, MSc Student, Department of Psychology MSc Student, University of Alberta (Canada)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020-2024, BA First-Class Honours, Biology, Universidad del Rosario (Colombia)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twitter: @soficgarrido<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website: https:\/\/sofiagarrido.owlstown.net\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sofia is interested in neurobiology, cognition, and animal behaviour. She is intrigued by why animals exhibit certain behaviours, the choices they make, and the significance of these choices in both environmental and social contexts. Her bachelor thesis focused on the process of social integration of new individuals into already established groups in guinea pigs. Apart from her academic pursuits, she engages in literary activities, both reading and writing, and she enjoys taking walks in nature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Undergraduate students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Shahmeer Mughal<\/strong> (he\/him)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025-2026 Independent Studies Student<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shahmeer is in his 4th year of a BSc Psychology specialization program with an interest in neural networks and how learning and experience shape cognition and behavior. He is currently exploring nest-building in zebra finches and how individual style emerges from experience. In the future, he hopes to apply computational tools to study animal perception and decision-making. Outside of school, he is a WNBF Men\u2019s Physique bodybuilder and enjoys hockey, mountain biking, skiing, surfing, photography, electric guitar, and collecting vinyl records.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Caitlyn Nguyen <\/strong>(she\/her)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025-2026 Independent Studies Student<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024 Volunteer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caitlyn is a third-year undergraduate working towards a Bachelor of Science degree, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology. She is fascinated by instinctual behaviours, conditioning methods, and cognitive processes in non-human animals, captivated by the parallels and differences across species. Outside of her academic pursuits, Caitlyn enjoys baking, hitting the gym, and doing art. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Walter Ibalio<\/strong> (He\/Him)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025-2026 Independent Studies Student<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024 Volunteer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walter is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in psychology. Walter is interested in exploring social conformity specifically social vs. asocial learning. He has many psychology interests such as neuropsychology and social psychology. When not studying, Walter enjoys playing golf, playing the piano and snacking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Francesca Uy<\/strong> (She\/Her) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025-2026 Independent Studies Student<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024 Volunteer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francesca is in her 3rd year of a BSc Psychology program with a broad interest in several fields, including developmental psychology and animal cognition. She has previously studied the roosting preferences of the little brown bat and hopes to delve more into cognitive ecology, specifically courtship preferences in birds and other animals. Outside of school, she likes collecting little trinkets, reading manga, playing the piano, and hanging out with her cats.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Gimran Kaur <\/strong>(she\/her)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter 2026 Independent studies student<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall 2025 Volunteer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gimran is in her third year as a BSc psychology student. Her interest in psychology lies in cognition, particularly the cognitive processes underlying decision making, problem solving, and social learning. She\u2019s excited to learn valuable research skills and gain experience in the field of animal cognition. Beyond her studies, she enjoys running, spending time with loved ones, and volunteering.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mariam Moustafa <\/strong>(she\/her)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter 2026 Independent studies student<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall 2025 Volunteer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mariam is a fourth year BSc Honors Psychology student. She has research interests in animal cognition along with early learning development. In regards to the ACRG lab, she is excited to learn more about nest-building behaviour in zebra finches and gain deeper understanding in this area of research. In her spare time, Mariam loves reading, binge-watching tv shows, and traveling to warmer destinations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Aryan Karla<\/strong> (he\/him)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter 2026 Independent studies student<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fall 2025 Volunteer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aryan is a second-year B.A. Psychology student. He is interested in behavioural psychology, with a focus on understanding how manipulating the consequences can influence and modify behaviour in different ways. Outside of academics, he enjoys going to the gym, playing badminton, and watching cricket and anime.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Alyssia Witkowski <\/strong>(they\/them)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Mitacs summer intern, starting June 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssia is a second-year BSc (Hons) Psychology student at the University of Nottingham (UK) with a particular interest in cognitive psychology in both humans and animals. They are especially excited to explore cognitive biases and their influence on processing and behaviour. Outside of academics, Alyssia enjoys playing electric and bass guitar, hiking, climbing, and collecting vinyl records.
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Freya Zhang<\/strong> (she\/her)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Mitacs summer intern, starting July 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Freya is a third-year undergraduate majoring in Wildlife Protection at Beijing Forestry University (China) and is joined the ACRG through the Mitacs program in 2026. Her academic interests focus on behavioural psychology, particularly how animals solve problems and how their strategies shift in response to climate change. In her spare time, she is a keen birdwatcher and also enjoys preparing bird specimens, playing badminton and reading.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Volunteers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Abreeza Batool<\/strong> (she\/her)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Volunteer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abreeza is a second-year undergraduate Psychology major. She is interested in cognitive and social neuroscience of both humans and animals, particularly in how brain activity relates to attention, decision-making, and behavior. Through her work with the ACRG, she hopes to build subject knowledge, research skills and gain hands-on lab experience. Outside of academics, she enjoys traveling, strength training, and painting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jessey Primero<\/strong> (she\/her)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Volunteer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jessy is a third-year Animal Health student at the University of Alberta. She is interested in animal behaviour, welfare, and the ways animals learn and interact with their environments. She has experience working with a variety of animal species through wildlife rehabilitation, research farms, and industry-based placements, which has helped shape her interest in animal cognition and behaviour. Outside of her academic studies, Jessy enjoys volunteering and spending time reading a wide range of literature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jordan Douglas <\/strong>(he\/him)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Volunteer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jordan is a third year bachelor of science student with a specialization in psychology and interested in animal cognition, especially in dogs. He finds the olfactory system in dogs to be especially interesting, as well as how canine research could potentially help people via service dogs. He very recently adopted a German shepherd\/ husky puppy named Gator who takes a lot of his time, but can\u2019t wait to start working on scent tracking with him. He also enjoys traveling, watching hockey and back country camping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Ben Mynzak<\/strong> (he\/him)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2026 Volunteer<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Ben is a undgergraduate Psychology student at the University of Alberta. He is interested in human behaviour and the biological mechanisms responsible for cognition and memory. He is excited to learn more about how biological processes are studied and about the specific cognitive processes that are unique to non-human animals. In his free time, he likes hiking and experimenting with cooking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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High School Students<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Previous graduate team members<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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