Raymond Vagell

I am broadly interested in animal cognition, welfare, and enrichment. I work with captive lemurs on cognitive testing and enrichment, focusing on noninvasive research methods. I am also interested in laterality, particularly in how my animals choose to use my apparatus.

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My PhD dissertation research focuses on how we could use cognitive research as a form of enrichment and to improve welfare in captive ruffed lemurs. 

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For my Masters thesis, we trained ruffed lemurs to show us if they are red-green colorblind, as well as incorporating cognitive tasks as a form of enrichment.

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I am interested in understanding how captive populations behave without predation and foraging pressures, as well as mitigating boredom and monotony in captivity by introducing cognitive enrichment for better welfare. My passion in hand preference and laterality stems from my interest in user experience and usability for non-human animals.