Principal Investigator
The Great Ape Behaviour (GAB) Lab investigates the behavioural flexibility of wild great apes as they navigate their complex social and ecological environments, with a focus on variation in communication and culture. The GAB Lab joins the University of Victoria's Department of Anthropology in Fall 2021. The GAB Lab collaborates closely with the PhASE Research Group at UVic, the PanAf Programme based in Leipzig, Germany and its citizen science project Chimp&See. We are also fortunate enough to have longstanding working collaborations with multiple great ape field sites in Africa.
Robyn Nakano
Masters Student 2021-2023
I am a master’s student working under the supervision of Dr. Ammie Kalan in the Great Ape Behaviour Lab. I completed my Bachelor of Arts and Science at McGill University in 2021 with major concentrations in biology and anthropology, and a particular focus in archaeology. During my graduate studies, I am looking forward to combining my majors in an interdisciplinary project. In my research, I take a landscape approach to study the chimpanzee accumulative stone throwing behaviour from an archaeological perspective.
Lindsey Warshawski
Masters Student 2021-2023
I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology (Honours) from the University of Victoria in 2021. Currently, I am a master’s student working under the supervision of Dr. Ammie Kalan. I am interested in the evolution of, and flexibility in, primate social behaviour. My thesis focuses on social and ecological factors of chimpanzee communication. Specifically, I am investigating vocalizations pertaining to foraging and feeding behaviours of the Rekambo community of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) in Loango National Park, Gabon.
Miranda Gilbert
BSc. Honours Student 2022/23
I am currently pursuing a bachelor of science (Honours) in Anthropology and Environmental Studies at the University of Victoria. I am interested in themes of how humans and wildlife share spaces, and the role primate behavioural flexibility plays in human-wildlife relationships. Under the supervision of Dr. Ammie Kalan, I will be conducting a meta-analysis of flexible behaviours adopted by primates living in areas of high human disturbance as my honour’s thesis project
Amy Christensen
Research Assistant
I am currently in my last year of my undergraduate degree at UVic and am a new research assistant in Dr. Ammie Kalan’s lab. I am pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Anthropology. I am especially passionate about non-human primate behaviour and the benefits of relationships between animals and humans from a mental health perspective.