Susan Denise Healy FRSE professor of biology at the University of St. Andrews, specialist in cognitive evolution and behavioural studies of birds (storing food, nesting, foraging) and understanding the neurological basis of this. She was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2021.[1]

Susan D. Healy

Occupationprofessor of biology
EmployerUniversity of St. Andrews
Known forspecialist in researching cognitive behaviour in animals, especially birds and the neural bases for this

Research interests and selected publications edit

Healy had earlier studied the brain structure of one kind of bird, exhibiting certain behaviours,[2] compared the nest building techniques of different birds,[3] studied stress behaviour in albino rats of either sex,[4] and how hummingbirds learn which flowers to choose [5] as well as debating scientific methodology for studying cognition in animals.[6] She has furthered her studies on the use of materials for nesting and its impact on birds' reproductive success,[7] and noted how hummingbirds avoided flower locations where they had had poor rewards,[8] as well as examining the disciplines used in research on animal behaviour, psychology or machine learning,[9] and how to consider 'dexterity' across species from primates to birds to insects.[10]

Her publications are listed by the University of St. Andrews.[11] Healy has been on the editorial team of a number of academic journals: Animal Behaviour, [12] Ethnology[11] and Animal Cognition,[13] and an invited speaker at international conferences. Her research has been funded by grants from BBSRC, Marie Curie Fellowships, and the Leverhulme Trust, amongst others.[11] She recently won a European grant for £0.25m for NEURONest: Nest building in birds: cognitive, neural and molecular basis of an overlooked behaviour.[11]

In 2021, Healy was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.[1]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Professor Susan Healy FRSE". The Royal Society of Edinburgh. 5 May 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  2. ^ Krebs, J. R.; Sherry, D. F.; Healy, S. D.; Perry, V. H.; Vaccarino, A. L. (1 February 1989). "Hippocampal specialization of food-storing birds". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 86 (4): 1388–1392. Bibcode:1989PNAS...86.1388K. doi:10.1073/pnas.86.4.1388. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 286696. PMID 2919184.
  3. ^ Healy, Sue; Walsh, Patrick; Hansell, Mike (8 April 2008). "Nest building by birds". Current Biology. 18 (7): R271–R273. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2008.01.020. ISSN 0960-9822. PMID 18397728. S2CID 824546.
  4. ^ Harris, Anjanette P.; D'eath, Richard B.; Healy, Susan D. (November 2008). "Sex differences, or not, in spatial cognition in albino rats: acute stress is the key". Animal Behaviour. 76 (5): 1579–1589. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.07.016. S2CID 53205348.
  5. ^ Samuels, Michael; Hurly, T. Andrew; Healy, Susan D. (1 November 2014). "Colour cues facilitate learning flower refill schedules in wild hummingbirds". Behavioural Processes. Animal Cognition in the Wild. 109: 157–163. doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2014.09.007. ISSN 0376-6357. PMID 25234604. S2CID 16258240.
  6. ^ Rowe, Candy; Healy, Susan D. (2014). "Measuring cognition will be difficult but worth it: a response to comments on Rowe and Healy". Behavioral Ecology. 25 (6): 1298. doi:10.1093/beheco/aru190. hdl:10.1093/beheco/aru190. ISSN 1465-7279.
  7. ^ Breen, Alexis J.; Healy, Susan D.; Guillette, Lauren M. (1 December 2021). "Reproductive consequences of material use in avian nest construction". Behavioural Processes. 193: 104507. doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104507. hdl:10023/26054. ISSN 0376-6357. PMID 34562513. S2CID 237603148.
  8. ^ Tello-Ramos, Maria C.; Hurly, T. Andrew; Barclay, Mabel; Healy, Susan D. (2 August 2021). "Hummingbirds modify their routes to avoid a poor location". Learning & Behavior. 50 (1): 89–98. doi:10.3758/s13420-021-00476-3. ISSN 1543-4494. PMC 8979907. PMID 34341946. S2CID 236884788.
  9. ^ Lewis, Mark A.; Fagan, William F.; Auger-Méthé, Marie; Frair, Jacqueline; Fryxell, John M.; Gros, Claudius; Gurarie, Eliezer; Healy, Susan D.; Merkle, Jerod A. (9 July 2021). "Learning and Animal Movement". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 9: 681704. doi:10.3389/fevo.2021.681704. hdl:10023/23569. ISSN 2296-701X.
  10. ^ Sugasawa, Shoko; Webb, Barbara; Healy, Susan D. (31 March 2021). "Object manipulation without hands". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 288 (1947): rspb.2020.3184, 20203184. doi:10.1098/rspb.2020.3184. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 8059664. PMID 33726598.
  11. ^ a b c d "Susan Healy - Research publications - University of St Andrews". risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Editorial Board - Animal Behaviour - Journal - Elsevier". www.journals.elsevier.com. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  13. ^ "Animal Cognition". Springer. Retrieved 12 October 2021.