Angie Johnston, PhD
Primary Investigator

Angie Johnston is an assistant professor at Boston College where she directs the Canine Cognition Center and Social Learning Laboratory. She received her Ph.D. in Psychology from Yale University and her B.S. in Child Development from the University of Texas at Dallas. Her research on canine cognition and child development has received numerous awards from sources such as the National Science Foundation, and her work has been featured on NBC Nightly News, the Today Show, and Scientific American. When she’s not in the lab investigating how dogs and children learn about the world around them, you can find her at home getting new study ideas from her dog, Vader. You can find more information at her personal website.
Karen Jesch
Ph.D. Student

People, animals, and how they work together – Karen has been fascinated by the animals around us and what they can tell us about ourselves since she was a child. A graduate from Canisius University where she received a B.S. in Animal Behavior, also studying communication, psychology, and anthrozoology, her interests lie in the cognitive perception of social others, learning mechanisms, and social interactions between people and dogs. Karen aims to continue contributing to canine social cognition in her career as a researcher and professor, teaching future scientists about animal behavior. She also enjoys baking, board games, raising future service dogs, and playing fetch with her cat, Phoebe!
Shennai Palermo
Lab Coordinator

Shennai has diverse research experience, having completed a Bachelor of Science with Honors in zoology, plant science, ecology and conservation biology. She was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia. From childhood, she has had an affinity for the natural world with a particular interest in apex predators. Her passion has led her to research opportunities in Borneo and the Canadian Rockies, among many other places.
Shennai has extensively studied the behavior and ecology of dingoes during her time at the Dingo Discovery Sanctuary and Research Center in Toolern Vale, Australia. She is incredibly excited to use her knowledge of animal behavior to learn more about comparative psychology!
Research Assistants
Maisy Dyer

Maisy Dyer is a student (’26) at Boston College majoring in Neuroscience and minoring in Accounting. She is fascinated by the language of dogs and the surprising similarities they share with humans in terms of how they communicate and interpret words. Aside from BCCCC, Maisy works in the Office of First Year Experience and enjoys spending her time reading or going on runs.
Keara Kierstead

Keara is a student (’26) at Boston College majoring in Psychology and minoring in French and International Studies. She is interested in the comparison between human and dog cognition/emotion, as well as what the evolutionary bases for similarities and differences may be. Outside of the lab, Keara sings for the Acoustics, an acapella group on campus, and works for the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, learning new skills, and watching Premier League soccer matches.
Molly Maher

Molly Maher (‘26) is a student at Boston College studying Neuroscience and looking to minor in Medical Humanities on the pre-medical track. Molly is very interested in studying the dog-owner relationship to learn more about the infant-caretaker bond. She also is interested in the social development of dogs and the parallels and discontinuities between this and the social development of humans. When Molly is not in the lab, she works for BCEMS, enjoys taking spin classes at the plex, and facetimes her dog Callie! She is looking forward to getting to work with dogs at the Canine Cognition Center!
BC Dog Lab Alumn
Graduate Students
- Dr. Molly Byrne 2025
- Carly Fisher 2024
Undergraduate Research Assistants
- Ava Cahill 2025
- Nonni Schwartz 2025
- Selim Kolat 2025
- Caroline Linskey 2025
- Pearl Miller 2025
- Veronica Wells 2024
- Eloise Richardson 2024
- Rachel Ceccanecchio 2024
- Juliana Amato 2024
- Xiaorui Zheng 2024
- Emily Gittle 2024
- Emily Shi 2023
- Gabe Fajardo 2023
- Gia Hamalis 2023
- Daniel Pinerio 2022
- Kayla Sawyer 2022
- Mark Schmitt 2022
- Zachary Tidd 2021
- Hannah Lee 2021
- Brenna Sharkey 2020
- Kayleiagh Claremont 2020
REU Students
- Ella Matteucci 2024
- Noemi Reyes 2023
- Marisa Dohr 2023
- Laura Furtado Fernandes 2023
- Kennedy Kreidell 2022
- Noah Liedtke-Silva 2022
- Lindsey Faucher 2021
- Frida Reyes 2021