Core team

Research areas: Comparative psychology, Animal cognition, Primate cognition

Josep grew up near Barcelona and obtained a BA (Psychology) from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (Spain) and a Master and PhD (both in Psychology) from Emory University (USA). Prior to becoming Professor in the Evolutionary Origins of Mind at the University of St Andrews, he was a lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Liverpool, and a senior scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig (Germany). Josep studies technical and social problem solving in animals with a special emphasis on the great apes.  Some of his current projects focus on inferential reasoning, tool-use, coordination and social learning.  Ultimately, his goal is to contribute to elucidate how cognition evolves.

Prof Josep Call – Researcher profile

Amanda Seed is a comparative and developmental psychologist studying the evolution of cognition, in particular causal reasoning, cognitive control and active learning in primates and children. She was recently awarded an ERC Starting Grant to explore the relationship between some of these different cognitive skills and how they combine to affect performance on problem-solving tasks.  The motivation for this research is to shed light on the evolutionary changes in representational, mnemonic and executive processes that marked the origins of uniquely human thinking.

Amanda is a Professor at the School of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St Andrews where she is a member of the Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, and the Scottish Primate Research Group.  She is the Director of the ‘Living Links to Human Evolution’ Centre at Edinburgh Zoo, where capuchin and squirrel monkeys take part in cognitive experiments in full view of the visiting public, with accompanying displays for public engagement with science. She is also the co-director of the newly formed Global Research Centre for Diverse Intelligences bringing together research on intelligence across different systems and disciplines.

Prof Amanda Seed – Researcher profile

More information coming soon.
Dr Sarah Bennison – Researcher profile

Laura enjoys facilitating interdisciplinary research and to develop new creative initiatives that drive impact and engagement.
Laura Pels Ferra – Profile

Patrick earned his Bachelor of Communication (with distinction) from the University of Newcastle, Australia. He initially worked in audio visual systems and event coordination before discovering a new passion for animal cognition research. He has since worked to support research across parrots, crows, dogs and primates with research groups at the University of Auckland, University of California, San Diego and Johns Hopkins University. 

Joining St Andrew’s University, Patrick is excited to lead initiatives that will connect researchers from across the Diverse Intelligences community and creatively share their discoveries with a wider audience.