Jennifer Siani

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Hours:
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Academic Interests:

• Behavioral Ecology
• Conservation Biology
• Ornithology/Mammology

Research:

• Parent Offspring Conflict in golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia)
• Evolution of infant begging strategies
• Sex ratio bias and the evolution of cooperative breeding systems

Background:
I am originally from Northeastern Pennsylvania where I attended the Pennsylvania State University and earned a BS in Animal Bioscience (Pre-Vet) along with a minor in Wildlife and Fisheries Science. While at Penn State, I worked for 2 years in a wildlife rehabilitation clinic. My primary responsibilities included caring for rabies vector species and orphaned infants of all species. At the same time, I conducted research in the field of plant pathology to determine mechanisms of disease resistance in Arabidopsis thaliana. I also maintained honeybee colonies and assisted field research on white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). After earning my B.S., I enrolled at the University of Maryland. My first semester, I traveled to Australia to study the satin bowerbird (Ptilinorhynchus violaceus) and then I returned to study grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. I am now pursuing my PhD through the BEES (Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, & Systematics) program with Dr. James Dietz, who studies the behavioral ecology and conservation biology of the endangered golden lion tamarin as part of a large-scale conservation program within Brazil.

Interesting Fact about me:
My favorite animal is the rat. I have three as pets named Homer, Squirt and Scooter.