2022 Outstanding Postdoctoral Scholar Award

The University of Arizona Postdoctoral Affairs congratulates 2022 Outstanding Postdoctoral Scholar Dr. Emily Bray!

Dr. Bray is a Postdoc at the Arizona Canine Cognition Center in the School of Anthropology and Postdoctoral Scholar at Canine Companions for Independence. She was nominated by her mentor for her extraordinary contributions to research and mentorship.

Dr. Bray’s research is dedicated to understanding individual differences in dog behavior and cognition, with the aim of identifying proximate mechanisms and developmental processes that influence life outcomes. Her work has made major contributions to the field of comparative psychology and appeared in high impact journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Current Biology. She has performed as the lead principal investigator in externally funded longitudinal studies that few early career researchers have the patience or long-term vision to attempt. Aside from her personal research, Dr. Bray has made foundational contributions to large-scale collaborative projects designed to enhance rigor and reproducibility in comparative psychology.

Dr. Bray’s innovation is manifested not only in her research, but in her mentoring and outreach. She independently seeks opportunities to share her work in local schools and museums and has participated in mentoring programs throughout her graduate and postdoctoral career. Since 2014, she regularly interacts with undergraduate research assistants, taking on the role of mentor, on-site supervisor, and thesis director. In a similar vein, Dr. Bray established an internship program for students at Sonoma State University, which is located near one of her primary data collection sites in California. She has certificates in College and University teaching from Penn, and serves as an Alumni volunteer at Duke.

According to her mentor, “She is an exceptional scientist, a dedicated mentor and educator, and a delightful colleague and collaborator. All of us who have been fortunate enough to work with Emily think extremely highly of her scholarship, integrity, and her commitment to scientific research.”

Congratulations, Dr. Bray!