Kayla W. T. Kolff

From a young age I have always adored animals. Initially I wanted to become a vet, though that meant that I would occasionally be required to carry out surgeries and that made me squeamish. So that ambition ended for me but I still really wanted to work with animals. I then switched to studying animal behaviour during my bachelor and master studies, predominantly focusing on chimpanzee behaviour.  After my master I had the opportunity to research wild western chimpanzees located in Taï National Forest in Cote d'Ivoire. Seeing them in their natural habitat made me realise even more that I wanted to continue observing them. Going a step further in academia, I started a PhD, giving me the opportunity to resume studying them, centering on their communicative interactions.