Vicki joined ATE in January 2011 to study social disruption and recovery in elephant families after the terrible 2009 drought. Her work focuses on elephant leadership and negotiation in the face of risk and change, as well as the very long-term social dynamics we have documented in Amboseli. Prior to working in Kenya, Vicki studied gorillas and forest elephants in the Republic of Congo, where she earned her PhD under the supervision of Prof. Phyllis Lee, examining the use of forest clearings as social arenas for elephants. She is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Exeter, a member of the CMS Working Group on Animal Culture in Conservation, and works on the Human-Wildlife Coexistence Committee in Amboseli.