Alexandra DeCasien
Ph.D. Biological Anthropology
NYU Department of Anthropology
Email: ard329@nyu.edu
Current Position
Postdoctoral Fellow
National Institute of Mental Health
Research Interests
- sexual selection
- cognitive evolution
- comparative neuroanatomy
Current Research
I am interested in how sexual selection has shaped primate cognitive evolution. Sex differences in behavior and cognitive abilities have been demonstrated in humans and non-human primates, but the specific biological underpinnings of such differences remain unknown. I plan to illuminate such mechanisms by investigating patterns of sexual dimorphism in volume, microstructure, and gene expression across various functional brain regions.
Publications
[ Academia | ResearchGate ]DeCasien, A., Higham, J. P., Williams, S. A. 2016. Hard-tissue markers of face flanges in male Pongo [abstract]. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 159(S62): 128.
Selected Presentations
DeCasien, A. Hard-tissue markers of face flanges in male Pongo [poster]. American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Atlanta, GA, April 13-16, 2016.
DeCasien, A. Revisiting the Ecological vs. Social Determinants of Primate Brain Size. New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), 2016.