Megan Beardmore-Herd

As of October 2018, I will be a first year DPhil student under the supervision of Dr Susana Carvalho. I am interested in the origin of human language and the ways in which the study of non-human primate communication can increase our understanding of this major development in human evolution. My research project is to study the vocal repertoire of vervet monkeys experiencing a shift in ecology at Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. My work will shed light on the flexibility of vervet monkey alarm call production and perception, and primate vocal communication more broadly, which in turn will inform models of the origin and evolution of human language.

Areas: Human Evolution, Primatology

Topics: The Evolution of Human Language, Primate Communication

PhD Advisor: Susana Carvalho

Projects: Vervet Vocal Repetoire in an Impacted Environment at Gorongosa National Park: Implications for the Evolution of Human Language