Vanessa is abest-selling author, researcher and journalist. She wrote the New York Times Best-Seller The Genius of Dogs (Dutton 2013) as well as Bonobo Handshake (Gotham 2010), which won the Society of American Travel Writers Lowell Thomas Award. She has written hundreds of popular science articles for publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, National Geographic, New Scientist and BBC Wildlife. A Duke University research scientist since 2005, Vanessa has worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo studying bonobos and the People's Republic of Congo studying chimpanzees. Her interests include comparing the cognition of bonobos and chimpanzees, and learning what bonobos can tell us about becoming a more peaceful species. In addition, Vanessa studies biophilia, or the connection between humans and the natural world.
