Shana M. Caro

Shana M. Caro is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Adelphi University, within the College of Arts and Sciences. Her research integrates behavioral neuroscience and evolutionary biology to investigate animal behavior, with a focus on birds and insects in both laboratory and field settings.

Educational Background:

• DPhil, University of Oxford (2017)
• BA, Harvard University (2007)

Her research interests include animal behavior, cognition, metacognition, communication, parental care, urbanization, and the effects of ultra-processed food and noise pollution on non-human animals. She explores how stress, evolutionary conflicts, and environmental challenges shape decision-making in animals. Notably, she investigates metacognition in great tits and chickens, personality effects on cognition, maternal hormonal manipulation of offspring, and sex differences in parental responses to offspring begging.

Her recent publications reflect a strong trend in behavioral ecology and evolutionary theory, particularly in avian systems, with studies appearing in journals such as Nature Communications, PNAS, and Evolution Letters. Her work combines empirical research with theoretical models to understand signaling, parental investment, and behavioral plasticity.

Scientific Awards and Fellowships:

• Stengl-Wyer Scholar, The University of Texas at Austin (2020–2022)
• Simons Junior Fellow, Columbia University (2017–2020)

Dr. Caro advises both undergraduate and master’s students, guiding capstone and scholarly research projects on topics such as hormonal mediation of development, dietary effects on insect fitness, and olfactory foraging in sparrows. She has conducted international research in Kenya, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, and Uganda, working with species like superb starlings, great tits, capuchin monkeys, and chimpanzees. She teaches courses such as Animal Behavior, Neurobiology, and Urban Behavioral Biology, and maintains an active lab focused on behavioral mechanisms and evolutionary drivers.