Yuchen Chen
Biology Major, Visual & Media Studies/Religious Studies Minor
Pronouns: she/her
Current Research Project: I am passionate about studying animal behavior, particularly cognition and communication within social-sexual contexts. At Duke, I have worked in Dr. Steve Nowicki’s lab on song learning in song sparrows and in Dr. Sara Lipshutz’s lab on the macroevolutionary drivers of female plumage coloration in songbirds. This past summer, I conducted fieldwork in Texas investigating whether sex predicts social aggression and dominance in monk parakeets. I also participated in the Bass Connections project Using Drones to Study Elephants’ Health, where I gained valuable skills and perspectives on conservation in interdisciplinary research settings.
How she got involved with research: I became involved in research at Duke primarily through cold emailing professors or meeting them at school events. For example, I met Dr. Steve Nowicki during transfer orientation, where our conversation sparked my interest in his work and eventually led to an opportunity to join his lab. In addition, I have explored research opportunities through Muser and Bass Connections.