My name is Austen, and I am a Biology PhD candidate and an NSF Graduate Research Fellow at Texas A&M University. I work in the lab of Courtney Fitzpatrick, and my dissertation combines empirical studies of free-living baboons with theoretical modeling to investigate reproductive behavior and its consequences. My work spans questions from copulatory behavior, sperm dynamics, and conception to the developmental consequences of infant exposure to adult males. 

I am originally from Indiana, and I attended Indiana University for my B.S. with honors in Animal Behavior and my B.A. in Environmental and Sustainability Studies. 

In addition to my primary research interests in reproductive ecology and behavior, I have a passion for teaching and conducting pedagogical research to improve biology education.