Dr. Jennifer Vonk received her PhD in comparative psychology from York University, Canada, in 2002 and previously held a faculty position at the University of Southern Mississippi before joining Oakland University in 2011, where she is a Professor of Psychology. She examines the mechanisms underlying cognition and behavior in diverse species (including amphibians, birds, mammals, and human children and adults) with the goal of better understanding the evolutionary factors giving rise to cognitive capacities. She also conducts research that contributes to improving the welfare of captive species and a better understanding of the human/animal relationship. She has published over 150 empirical papers, book chapters, commentaries, and edited volumes and has held several editorial positions, including Co-Editor-in-Chief for Animal Behavior and Cognition and Section Editor for PeerJ. She is a fellow of the Society for Behavioral Neuroscience and Comparative Psychology/Division 6 of the American Psychological Association.