I am using social network analysis in a social rodent, the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris), to describe patterns of social structure and look for potential fitness costs of group and individual variation in sociality. My work to date indicates that there is significant variation in both group and individual sociality and that more social individuals may pay associated costs of higher parasitism, stress levels, and immune challenge. Factors such as age, sex, and site of residence also appear to influence sociality and fitness correlates.

Wey, TW, and Blumstein, DT. (in progress) "Development and age-structuring in social networks of yellow-bellied marmots"

Blumstein, DT, Wey, TW, and Tang, K. (2009) "A test of the social cohesion hypothesis: interactive female marmots remain at home" Proc. R. Soc. B. 276: 3007-3012

Wey T, Blumstein DT, Shen W & Jordán F (2008) "Social network analysis of animal behaviour: a promising tool for the study of sociality" Animal Behaviour 75: 333-344

Thomas, PR, Powell, DM, Fergason, G, Kramer, B, Nugent, K, Vitale, C, Stehn, AM, & Wey, T (2006) "Birth and simultaneous rearing of two litters in a pack of captive African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus)" Zoo Biology 25: 461-477

2009: EEB Departmental Fellowship

2009: Chancellor's Prize

2009: Animal Behavior Society NSF Travel Award

2009: NSF GK-12 Fellow

2008: Snyder Graduate Research Fellowship

2007: GAANN Fellow

2007: Bartholomew Research Grant

2006: GAANN Fellow

2005: UCLA Chancellor's Fellow

2004   Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ   B.A.    Biological Sciences