My research takes a comparative approach to investigate primate behavior and ecology. Specifically, I use phylogeny-based methods to investigate a diverse array of questions, including the following:

• What factors drive disease risk in primates, and has infectious disease influenced primate behavior?
• How do animal social systems influence the spread of cultural traits?
• What accounts for variation in sleep patterns across primates and other mammals?
• What are the causes and consequences of reproductive skew in primates?
• What can be learned from applying phylogenetic methods to study human cultural traits?

In addition to these questions, I am interested in developing and applying new phylogeny-based methods, and making these methods more readily available to evolutionary anthropologists. I also conduct field research and model primate behavior, including recent (and ongoing) work on cultural transmission.

This broad approach integrates variation at multiple levels of biological organization and involves extensive collaboration with other researchers. I welcome students and visiting scientists who are interested in applying these integrative approaches to address their research interests.

	For information on our parasite databases, go to the Global Mammal Parasite Database at www.mammalparasites.org/
	For information on our collaborative research on sleep, go to www.bu.edu/phylogeny/index.html