I was born and raised in Miami, FL and frequently get pangs and cravings for pastelitos and Cuban food ever since I left four years ago for my graduate education. Now most of my time is taken up with my studies though I'm fortunate to be in a field that has taken me to a lot of interesting places.

I've researched various aspects of primate behavior and ecology in both captive and wild settings in owl monkeys, long-tailed macaques, and two species of sifaka (Decken's sifaka and Milne-Edward's sifaka) in Madagascar. As I've gotten further along in my studies I've become interested in the genetic and other biological mechanisms underlying behavior, especially social behavior. Now I'm hoping to examine the evolution of different neural systems.

I enjoy having long conversations with people, grabbing a few beers, reading, and going on walks in wild places.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

I've used couch-surfing before usually when I'm in a bind and have met some really kind and generous people through it!

Interests

• literature
• politics
• music
• martial arts
• science
• nature
• philosphy
• evolutionary psychology
• evolutionary biology

Music, Movies, and Books

Some of my favorite bands/musicians:
The Black Keys
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Jack Johnson
Tom Waits
Queen
John Legend
Nujabes
Thievery Corporation

Some books I like:
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
His Dark Materials triology - Phillip Pullman
Antifragile - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
Life at the Bottom - Theodore Dalrymple
Natural Acts - David Quammen

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I lived in Madagascar for six months while studying lemurs in nature!

Teach, Learn, Share

Different science topics, especially within the realm of evolutionary biology, psychology, primate behavior/evolution/ecology.

Countries I’ve Visited

Belize, Honduras, Jamaica, Madagascar, Mexico, Peru

Countries I’ve Lived In

Madagascar, United States