Isabel Behncke is a primatologist, and is currently completing her doctorate at Oxford University with Robin Dunbar. She is interested in how our evolutionary past helps us to understand human social behaviour - and whether we can apply this knowledge to current issues that humanity is facing. She is particularly interested in social and behavioral complexity,and in particular the role of bonded relationships in these processes. She uses play behavior - and adult play in particular- as research foci to approach these issues. Isabel grew up in Chile enjoying its mountains and nature. She gained a first class BSc in Zoology and a MSc in Conservation biology from University College London (UCL), after which she worked helping set up private parks in the temperate rainforest of southern Chile. She returned to the UK to earn an MPhil with distinction from Cambridge University in Human Evolution. She co-convened “The Importance of Being Playful'” Minerva conference at Berkeley, and has been invited to speak at several international scientific and public conferences including TED, G20 and Zeitgest Google. She lives in Oxford with her partner, Akila the thieving wolfdog, and Bailey the gentle great dane.
Isabel Behncke
Isabel Behncke on TED Talk