Hi! I'm Lauren (she/her/hers), a graduate student in the Bales Lab at the California National Primate Research Center, where I combine my interests in reproductive neuroendocrinology and behavioral ecology to contribute to endangered species survival. Prior to joining the CNPRC, I worked as a Staff Research Associate at UC Berkeley's Wallis Lab, where I studied reinforcement learning in macaques.
Before moving to California, I graduated with an Honors B.Sc. in Neuroscience from the University of Delaware in 2019, where I worked with the Neunuebel Neuroscience Lab to understand how the estrous cycle influences vocal and behavioral interactions between male and female mice. During my summers, I helped develop an invertebrate model of White-Nose Syndrome (a fungal disease decimating North American bat populations), studied bat and fungi biodiversity in rural Panama, evaluated sexual selection in songbirds, and worked at a captive breeding facility for endangered sage grouse. When I wasn't in lab, I kept busy as the president of UD's chapter of The Wildlife Society and with music. While nature will always be my first love, I trained as a classical vocalist for many years and continue to love opera.
Before moving to California, I graduated with an Honors B.Sc. in Neuroscience from the University of Delaware in 2019, where I worked with the Neunuebel Neuroscience Lab to understand how the estrous cycle influences vocal and behavioral interactions between male and female mice. During my summers, I helped develop an invertebrate model of White-Nose Syndrome (a fungal disease decimating North American bat populations), studied bat and fungi biodiversity in rural Panama, evaluated sexual selection in songbirds, and worked at a captive breeding facility for endangered sage grouse. When I wasn't in lab, I kept busy as the president of UD's chapter of The Wildlife Society and with music. While nature will always be my first love, I trained as a classical vocalist for many years and continue to love opera.
