Isabel Kier

My name is Izzy (she/her) and I am a first year student and NSF GRFP fellow in the Animal Behavior Graduate Group. I joined the lab in the fall of 2023 with the aim of studying how the pair bond between titi monkey parents affects the outcomes of their offspring. I’m also working on projects related to titi monkey handedness, tail twining behavior, and parental investment.

I completed my undergraduate degree in Biology & Society at Cornell University in 2021, where I studied the vocalizations of tarsiers and gibbons at the K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics. During my time as an undergraduate, I was a volunteer firefighter/EMT and worked at the Cornell Equine Park caring for research horses.

I took two years between Cornell and UC Davis to work full time and gain more research experience. I worked for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Washington, D.C., and volunteered at the Smithsonian National Zoo’s Small Mammal House.

When I’m not on campus or at the Primate Center, I like to go on hikes, improve my novice birding skills, ride horses, read, and crochet. Please feel free to reach out (iakier@ucdavis.edu) with any questions!