People

Dr. Jeffrey R. Stevens

Dr. Stevens is the director of the Canine Cognition and Human Interaction Lab. He received his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Minnesota in 2002. He then spent four years as a Ruth L Kirschstein postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. From 2006-2011, he held a research scientist position in the Center for Adaptive Behavior and Cognition at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.

Dr. Stevens is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and is a faculty member in the Center for Brain, Biology & Behavior. He is interested in the evolution of cognition and decision making in humans and other animals. At the moment, his research focuses on cooperation, intertemporal choice, risky choice, and social contact. He has studied these topics in over a dozen species of primates, birds, fish, and now dogs.

Research team

Anwyn Gatesy-Davis

Anwyn is a Ph.D. student who earned their B.A. in Psychology and Animal Behavior from Hampshire College in 2020. Their senior thesis was a study on dogs' ability to follow human pointing gestures and compared the point-following abilities of herding breeds to that of non-herding breeds. After graduating, Anwyn worked as a lab manager for Dr. Daphna Buchsbaum's Computational Cognitive Development Lab and Brown Dog Lab at Brown University. Anwyn is interested in how our long history of breeding dogs to help us on farms has shaped the behavior and cognition of those dogs.

London Wolff

London is a PhD student who graduated with honors in Biology and Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation from Canisius College in 2016. She completed her senior thesis on the affects of the domestication process on dogs’ social cognitive skills. Subsequently she researched decision making with orangutans and dolphins as well as long-tailed macaque social structure at the Indianapolis Zoo. London is interested in exploring how social structure and developmental differences of individuals across and within species impact their decision making processes, specifically looking at impulsivity and risk taking.

Savannah Clites

Susannah is a junior here at UNL pursuing a bachelor's degree in psychology. She would love to pursue research further in graduate school and see where that can take her in the field of psychology. She got involved with CCHIL by working as an RA on London's original stress test procedure and is excited to get to explore that further as we begin working with the dogs!

Susannah Couture

Susannah is pursuing a dual major in Biological Sciences and Psychology at UNL. She aspires to go to graduate school to become a researcher and hopes to add to the scientific world with her interest in animal behavior. She learned about the lab after her dog, Bean, was a participant, and after looking through previous research, was interested in what the lab was doing. She is now excited to contribute to the amazing studies.

Hunter DeBoer

Hunter is a junior majoring in Psychology, Mathematics, and Physics. He plans on continuing to graduate school and become a college professor. Hunter loves dogs and is excited to work with them.

Hannah Fitzpatrick

Hannah is a senior at UNL majoring in Veterinary Biomedical Sciences. She plans on applying to veterinary school in the summer of 2022 to hopefully get accepted into Iowa State’s vet program for the fall of 2023. She is excited to observe and participate in research involving dogs and the psychology behind their behavior—topics she’s passionate about and hopes to include in her future career.

Maya Lashley

Maya is a junior studying Animal Science in the companion animal area. She is on the pre-vet track and is hoping to attend veterinary school after finishing her undergraduate degree. Maya is an active member in the Alpha Phi sorority on campus and currently serves as the Finance director for her chapter. She loves all animals, especially her two dogs and three cats. She is excited to learn more and participate in this research!

Ashley Llewellyn

Ashley is a sophomore Animal Science major with the animal biology and biotechnology option. She hopes to pursue future graduate studies in animal genetics, biology, or cognitive-based research. She has previous dog experience working at her hometown boarding facility and personal care of her own loveable rescue. She is looking forward to participating in research she is passionate about!

Lily Mook

Lily is an Animal Science major with a focus in veterinary medicine. Her current plan is to pursue a career in companion animal veterinary medicine, but she loves learning more about animal behavior and psychology. She's excited to learn more through her experience in the lab, and she looks forward to working with the dogs!

Nathan Nienaber

Nathan is currently studying as pre-vet and is particularly drawn to surgery and lab work. Guinea pigs hold a special place in his heart, and he enjoys crochet and needle arts in his free time.

Lauryn Rivale

Between working in a doggy daycare for two years and studying pre-vet, Lauren has been working with dogs her whole life. She's always been fascinated by canine behavior and their interactions with other dogs and humans and how it affects them. Dogs have always had a big impact on her life and she's interested to see how they affect those around her.

Yasmin Worth

Yasmin is a junior at UNL studying Biochemistry in a Pre-Veterinary focus and minoring in Animal Science. She loves being around animals, especially her cuddly cat. She is excited to participate in this research.

Linus

Linus is London's English shepherd who also acts as a pilot subject in the dog cognition studies and as a dog intervention in the canine-human interaction studies. He has received his Canine Good Citizen certification.