Brian Hare | |
|---|---|
 Hare in 2010 | |
| Born | 1976 |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Alma mater | Harvard University (Ph.D) Emory University (B.A.) |
| Spouse | Vanessa Woods |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Anthropology,Psychology |
| Institutions | Duke University |
| Doctoral advisor | Richard Wrangham |
Brian Hare (born 1976) is a professor ofevolutionary anthropology atDuke University.[1] He researches theevolution ofcognition by studying both humans, our close relatives theprimates (especiallybonobos andchimpanzees), and species whose cognition converged with our own (primarilydomestic dogs). He founded and co-directs the Duke Canine Cognition Center.
Hare obtained hisBachelor of Arts degree inAnthropology andPsychology fromEmory University in 1998. As an undergraduate, he conducted research withMichael Tomasello, where he found that chimpanzees are sensitive to what other chimpanzees can and cannot see, and that domestic dogs can follow humans’ pointing gestures to find food.[2][3][4][5]
Hare continued his study of primate and canid cognition atHarvard University, where he was advised byRichard Wrangham. In 2004, he obtained hisPh.D in Biological Anthropology. He joined theMax Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology inLeipzig,Germany, where he founded the Hominoid Psychology Research Group. He studied great ape cognition in several African sanctuaries, includingbonobos atLola ya Bonobo andchimpanzees atTchimpounga andNgamba Island.[6]
Since 2008, Hare has been a professor atDuke University. In 2009, he founded the Duke Canine Cognition Center, which has tested the cognitive abilities of pet dogs in theResearch Triangle area as well as working dogs from organizations such asCanine Companions for Independence.[7] He has also researchedlemur cognition at theDuke Lemur Center.
Hare co-foundedDognition, acitizen science enterprise where dog owners play a variety of games with their dogs to test the dogs’ cognitive skills.[8] With his wife,Vanessa Woods, Hare co-authored the popular science bookThe Genius of Dogs, which was a New York Times Best Seller.[9]
Hare was a 2004 recipient of theSofia Kovalevskaya Award.
