I work with one of the last remaining active forager communities, the Congo Basin BaYaka and investigate seasonal variation in (1) children’s foraging returns, (2) social learning and social network patterns, and (3) the development of spatial cognition. Building on my previous fieldwork with BaYaka, I collect observational, GPS, and experimental data with children during field trips spanning the wet and dry seasons.
My PhD aims at investigating a key but understudied contextual factor—seasonality—which likely shapes flexible cognitive development now and throughout our evolutionary history. The project is build in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Global-Hub on Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems, to shed light on children’s role in Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).
My supervisors are Dr. Sheina Lew-Levy, Dr. Rachel Kendal and Dr. Haneul Jang.
