Dr. Hecht received her B.S. in Cognitive Science from the University of California San Diego in 2006, and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Emory University in 2013.  She is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Dr. Hecht launched the Canine Brains Project while she was a Research Scientist in the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience at Georgia State University, and an Affiliated Scientist at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University.  Dr. Hecht's research focuses on neuroanatomical specializations in dogs, primates, and humans.  She has two Miniature Australian Shepherds, Lefty and Izzy, who are mostly good. 

Sophie earned her B.S. in Psychology and B.A. in Linguistics from the University of Georgia in 2019. She is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. Sophie is broadly interested in comparative brain evolution and how artificial selection shapes the brain. Through neuroimaging and behavioral experiments, she plans to study the neural circuits that support the learning of breed-specific behaviors in working dog breeds. Sophie began working on the Canine Brains Project as an undergraduate researcher at the University of Georgia at Athens. She draws inspiration from her rescue dog Tamsin.

Alexandra (Alex) Grayson is an undergraduate student researcher in the lab, and she is currently pursuing an A.B. in Molecular & Cellular Biology at Harvard University. While focused on cells in class, she is interested in all aspects of biology, including neuroscience, as it helps to explain why nature is the way it is. Outside of science, she enjoys researching health policy, playing lacrosse, cheering on University of Kentucky basketball, and FaceTiming her miniature dachshund, Oliver.

Stacy Jo '21 is a Harvard undergraduate concentrating in Human & Evolutionary Biology (Mind, Brain and Behavior Track) with a Secondary in Music. She is also a student of the Harvard-Berklee Dual Degree Program and is on her way to earning her Master's Degree in Music. Stacy hopes to bring together evolutionary biology, music and cognitive neuroscience altogether to study the ways in which our musicality may be inherited or newly formed within the human species in an evolutionary standpoint. Beyond academia, you can catch her either performing onstage, tutoring students in SAT, or repping Harvard spirit as part of the Harvard College Events Board.

Serena Fernandopulle is a Harvard College student in the class of 2023. She is interested in HEB and English, and outside the classroom she enjoys playing club soccer, hiking with her dog (a Cockapoo named Lucky), reading, and being a Junior Staffer for Harvard Model Congress. Her favorite animals include elephants, dogs, bonobos, otters, and planaria.

Kelsey Hoskin '21 is an undergraduate at Harvard studying Human Evolutionary Biology and Medical Anthropology. On campus she loves volunteering at Spaulding Hospital, playing on the Harvard Women's Club Volleyball team, and leading Harvard College Faith and Action as well as Harvard Global Health Forum. She is from Lilburn, Ga and has two dogs of her own, a Corgi and a Boston Terrier!