Curriculum vitae
Matthew Hunter Babb M.A. Psychology | Atlanta, GA |
EDUCATION | |
2020 – Present | Ph.D. Student in Psychology – Cognitive Sciences Georgia State University ● Advisor: Dr. Sarah Brosnan |
2016 – 2020 | B.S. in Biology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ● Minors in Neuroscience and Chemistry ● Graduated with Honors and Highest Distinction |
RESEARCH INTERESTS |
Animal behavior, natural and social decision making, comparative cognition, evolution of prosociality, cooperation, inequity aversion, behavioral economics, and endocrinology
FELLOWSHIP AND AWARDS | |
2024-2025 | Rumbaugh Fellowship – $12,000 |
2025 | 3-Minute Thesis – Second Place Finalist – $350 |
2024 | Dean’s Graduate Research Grant – $1,000 |
2023 | First Place Oral Presentation – American Society of Primatologist |
2022 | NSF Graduate Research Fellowship – Honorable Mention |
2020-2024 | 2CI University Doctoral Fellowship – $80,000 |
2020 | Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society |
2020 | Carolina Research Scholar |
2019 | Tom and Elizabeth Long Research Award |
2019 | Office of Undergraduate Research Travel Award |
PUBLICATIONS | |
2024 | Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. (in review). Social closeness affects prosocial behavior in capuchin monkey groups. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. |
2024 | Babb, M. H., Flammer, K.L., Spilker, C., Ford, K., Sadtler, E., D’Ambra, E., & Brosnan, S.F. (in review). Risk sensitivity in female beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas). Marine Mammal Science. |
2024 | Martinez, M., Babb, M. H., Range, F., & Brosnan, S.F. (2024). The ‘joint’ Simon task in capuchins: Playing together, but yet alone. Scientific Reports 14, 5937. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55885-x |
2024 | Babb, M. H., Prétôt, L., Bshary, R., & Brosnan, S.F. (2024). Capuchin monkeys’ ability to choose beneficial options is inhibited by added complexity. Animal Behaviour 210, 303-313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2024.01.007 |
2019 | Davis, A. L., Babb, M. H., Lowe, M. C., Yeh, A. T., Lee, B. T., & Martin, C. H. (2019). Testing Darwin’s hypothesis about the wonderful venus flytrap: marginal spikes form a “horrid prison” for moderate-sized insect prey. The American Naturalist, 193(2), 309-317. |
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PUBLICATIONS “IN PREP” | |
Expected Submission |
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2025 | Babb, M.H., Lazareva, O.F., & Brosnan, S.F. (in prep.). Transitive inference in capuchin monkey sequence learning. |
2025 | Saldaña, J.M., Babb, M.H., Talbot, C.F., & Brosnan, S.F. (in prep.). Facial identification when features are masked in capuchin monkeys. |
2025 | Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. (in prep.). The role of oxytocin in primate social behavior, a review of method and context. |
2025 | Mayerhoff, S.R., Babb, M.H., & Brosnan, S.F. (in prep.). File, save, forget: Cognitive offloading in non-human primates. |
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PRESENTATIONS | |
Invited Talks |
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2024 | Emory National Primate Center Field Station Babb, M.H. Group Level Testing in Primates – An Aim to Increase Social Relevance |
Presenter |
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2024 | American Society of Primatologists – Talk Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. Social closeness drives prosocial behavior in capuchin groups
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2023 | International Primatological Society – Talk Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. Social closeness and dominance influence prosocial behavior in socially relevant contexts |
2023 | American Society of Primatologists – Talk Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. Added complexity inhibits tufted capuchin monkeys’ selection of ephemeral options in a dichotomous choice task |
2023 | Cognitive Psychology Graduate Conference – Talk Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. How does oxytocin change prosocial behavior in socially relevant conditions? |
2022 | Southeastern Evolution and Human Behavior Meeting – Talk Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. The effects of oxytocin on group-level prosocial behavior in tufted capuchin monkeys |
2021 | American Society of Primatologists – Poster Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. Effects of configural learning on tufted capuchins’ performance in a computerized foraging task |
2020 | The Society for Integrative & Comparative Biology – Poster Babb, M.H., Goforth, K., & Lohmann, C.M.F. Spatial distributions and exhibit use of African lions (Panthera leo) and cougars (Puma concolor) between zoo and sanctuary |
2020 | World Sea Turtle Day – Talk Babb, M.H., Goforth, K., & Lohmann, K.J. Geomagnetic imprinting in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) |
Co-Author |
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2024 | American Society of Primatologists – Talk Heller, C.G, Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. A Transverse Patterning Task in Captive Tufted Capuchin Monkeys |
2023 | American Society of Primatologists – Talk Mayerhoff, S.R., Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. File, Save, Forget: Cognitive offloading in non-human primates |
2023 | American Association of Biological Anthropologists – Poster Epstein, S., Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. Ecological Advantages of Color Vision in Capuchin Monkeys under Controlled ConditionsS |
2022 | American Society of Primatologists – Talk Martinez, M., Babb, M.H. & Brosnan, S.F. Capuchin monkeys (Sapajus [Cebus] apella) do not show co-representation in a computer-based Joint Simon task |
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RESEARCH EXPERIENCE | |
2020 – Present | Language Research Center – Atlanta, GA Graduate Student, CEBUS Lab ● Principle Investigator: Dr. Sarah Brosnan, GSU ● Department of Psychology, Georgia State University |
2023 – Present | Capuchinos de Taboga – Taboga forest reserve, Cañas, Costa Rica Visiting Researcher ● Director: Dr. Marcela Benítez ● Department of Anthropology, Emory University |
2022 – Present | Georgia Aquarium – Atlanta, GA Visiting Researcher |
2019 – 2020 | North Carolina Zoo – Asheboro, NC Visiting Researcher
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2019 – 2020 | Carolina Tiger Rescue – Pittsboro, NC Visiting Researcher |
2018 – 2020 | Lohmann Geomagnetic Sensing Lab – Chapel Hill, NC Research Assistant – Sea Turtle Sensory Systems and Physiology ● Principle Investigator: Dr. Kenneth Lohmann, UNC |
2017 – 2018 | Evolution of Novelty Lab – Chapel Hill, NC Undergraduate Research Assistant ● Principle Investigator: Dr. Chris Martin, University of California: Berkeley |
TEACHING AND MENTORING | |
In-Person Courses | |
2025 | PSYC 3140 – Psychopathology and Abnormal Psychology 75 students |
Online Courses |
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2023-2024 | Coding Cognitive Tasks for Non-human Primates in Python |
Guest Lectures | |
2024 | PSYC 3140– Psychopathology and Abnormal Psychology “Eating Disorders” |
2024 | PSYC 3530– Advanced Research Methods and Statistics “Comparing Means: The t-test” |
2022 | PSYC 4560 – Animal Behavior “Animals on the Move: Animal Migration, Navigation, and Dispersal”
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2021 | PSYC 4100 – Cognitive Psychology “How Human Are They? Methods and Principles of Comparative Cognition” |
Teaching Assistant | |
2023, 2024 | PSYC 3530 – Advanced Research Methods and Statistics |
Mentored Students | |
2023 – 2024 | Nutifafa Ayeke, Psychology Undergraduate, Georgia State University |
2021-2023 | Heaven Varner, Neuroscience Undergraduate, Georgia State University |
2021 – 2022 | Sedona Epstein, Anthropology Undergraduate, Emory University |
2021 – 2022 | CJ Andrews, Neuroscience Undergraduate, Georgia Tech |
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LEADERSHIP AND OUTREACH | |
2025 – Present | Georgia Aquarium Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) External Scientist |
2023 – Present | Animal Welfare Committee – Georgia Aquarium External Scientist |
2023 – Present | Graduate Association of Psychology Students Executive Member |
2023 | Diving Deep with Stephen Mburu – Podcast Interview Episode 1 |
2023 | Dekalb County Magnet School – Science Night Volunteer Presenter |
2021 – Present | Skype-A-Scientist Volunteer Presenter |
2021 – 2022 | Georgia Psychological Association for Graduate Students Campus Representative |
2017 – 2020 | Wildlife Information and Science Education Animal Handler and Presenter |
2018 – 2020 | UNC Chapel Hill Athletic Department Mascot Coordinator |
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SOFTWARE PROGRAMMED | |
Click Icon to Access GitHub | |
2024 | Transitive Inference List Task Babb, Lazareva, & Brosnan (in prep.) |
2024 | Transverse Patterning Problem Babb & Brosnan (in prep.) |
2023 | Cooperative Prisoner’s Dilemma Simmons & Brosnan (in prep.) |
2022 | Simon Effect Paradigm Published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55885-x |
2022 | Cognitive Offloading Paradigm Mayerhoff, Babb, & Brosnan (in prep.) |
2021 | Dot Probe Paradigm Published: https://doi.org/10.1037/com0000381 |
2020 | Ephemeral Choice Task |
REFERENCES | |
| Dr. Sarah Brosnan Distinguished University Professor of Psychology, Philosophy & Neuroscience Chair of Psychology Department |
| Dr. Michael Beran Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience Associate Chair of Psychology Department |
| Dr. Kenneth and Catherine Lohmann Distinguished Professors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Katie Lorenz Flammer Associate Curator-Animal Training at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, GA
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