Gillian King-Bailey

I am a doctoral candidate at Tulane University where I study primatology in the lab of Dr. Katharine Jack. I am currently teaching and writing my dissertation.

 

I took a circuitous route to my current position in academica. I spent my first year of my undergraduate education at University of California, Berkeley unsure of what direction I would take. After a series of transfers between the Santa Rosa Junior College and UC Berkeley I took time off from university to explore my interests. I left for Bolivia where I volunteered with big cats and monkeys rescued from the black market pet trade.

 

I realized my enthusiasm for primate behavior during the three years I volunteered in Bolivia. I returned to the U.S. to finish my Bachelor of Science degree at Sonoma State University where I contributed to research involving California tiger salamanders (Ambystoma californiense), captive squirrel monkeys (Saimiri) western pond turtles (Emys marmorata), and captive cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus). 

 

Upon completing my undergraduate degree I spent six months volunteering with AmeriCorps as a one-on-one mentor in a pilot program that has since gone on to be a permanent AmeriCorps program. When I completed my AmeriCorps service I immediately left for the Magdalena Valley, Colombia, where I aided in a study of the population density of three sympatric primate species. 

 

I am interested in investigating factors that influence variation in reproductive success in female primates including behavior, hormones, and ecology. I am also dedicated to mentoring youth in my community, especially young girls and women interested in STEM fields.