Our Research Team

Francesca De Petrillo

Director

Francesca is the director of the Evolved Minds: Behaviour, Cognition, and Culture Research Group. She received a BA in Natural Sciences, MSc in Ecobiology and, a PhD in Environmental and Evolutionary from Sapienza University of Rome, and completed postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan as part of the Cognitive Evolution Group. She is currently a Lecturer in Evolutionary Psychology at Newcastle University, UK. Francesca is interested in the evolutionary roots of human judgment and decision-making, by comparing how humans and other primates acquire and process information, and, ultimately, make decisions.

Sophia Daoudi-Simison

Co-Director

Sophia is one of the co-directors of the Evolved Minds: Behaviour, Cognition, and Culture Research Group. She received a BSc in Psychology from the University of Stirling, an MSc in Primate Conservation from Oxford Brookes University, and a PhD in Animal Behaviour from the University of Stirling. She is currently a Lecturer of Psychology at Newcastle University, UK. Sophia is interested in behavioural ecology, cognition and animal welfare.

Elizabeth Price

Co-Director

Elizabeth received her MSc in Animal Behaviour from the University of Exeter and her PhD in Psychology from the University of St. Andrews. She subsequently undertook a National Science Foundation funded post-doctoral position at Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C., in collaboration with The George Washington University Ape Mind Initiative. She is currently a lecturer in Psychology at Newcastle University. Her research focuses on cultural learning mechanisms underlying tool use, problem-solving, and innovation in humans and other animals. Elizabeth is also passionate about animal welfare and is interested in human-animal interaction and conservation education, including how public engagement with research in zoos can aid conservation efforts.