Sarah Benson-Amram, University of British Columbia

Research

Read how they describe their research on their University of British Columbia profile.

Latest papers

Evaluating inhibitory control in captive raccoons (Procyon lotor) using the cylinder task.
Learning & behavior · 2026 · senior author
Large-scale experimental assessment of coyote behavior across urban and rural landscapes.
Scientific reports · 2025
Patterns of Raccoon Craniodental Morphology under Urbanization.
Integrative and comparative biology · 2025

All 7 publications

Latest funding

How wildlife adapt to urban environments and the role of cognition in the success of urban wildlife
NSERC · 2022 · Principal investigator
$12,500
How wildlife adapt to urban environments and the role of cognition in the success of urban wildlife
NSERC · 2022 · Principal investigator
$99,000

All 2 grants and awards

7 publications.

01

Evaluating inhibitory control in captive raccoons (Procyon lotor) using the cylinder task.

Griebling HJ, Johnson SR, Benson-Amram S

Learning & behavior2026Senior author

DOI: 10.3758/s13420-025-00702-2 PMID: 41629695

02

Large-scale experimental assessment of coyote behavior across urban and rural landscapes.

Young JK, Kays R, Green AM, Moll RJ, Schultz JT, Benson JF, Benson-Amram S, Brown J, Cahal G, Carr BS, Cepek JD, Davis E, Dougherty KD, Gallo T, Gehrt SD, Goode KO, Grace T, Henling M, Himes L, Keller S, Kohl MT, LaPoint S, Monzón J, Nagy C, Palmer E, Prugh LR, Raber S, Ritzel K, Riley SPD, Schell CJ, Şekercioğlu ÇH, Stanton L, Breck SW

Scientific reports2025

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-025-33189-y PMID: 41407910

03

Patterns of Raccoon Craniodental Morphology under Urbanization.

Sluka CM, Clementz MT, Benson-Amram S, Ben-David M

Integrative and comparative biology2025

DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaf094 PMID: 40577694

04

Wild raccoons demonstrate flexibility and individuality in innovative problem-solving.

Stanton LA, Cooley-Ackermann C, Davis EC, Fanelli RE, Benson-Amram S

Proceedings. Biological sciences2024Senior author

DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0911 PMID: 39043237

05

The current state of carnivore cognition.

Benson-Amram S, Griebling HJ, Sluka CM

Animal cognition2023First author

DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01709-2 PMID: 36333496

06

Links between personality traits and problem-solving performance in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata).

Barrett LP, Marsh JL, Boogert NJ, Templeton CN, Benson-Amram S

Royal Society open science2022Senior author

DOI: 10.1098/rsos.212001 PMID: 35706654

07

Cytoarchitectural characteristics associated with cognitive flexibility in raccoons.

Jacob J, Kent M, Benson-Amram S, Herculano-Houzel S, Raghanti MA, Ploppert E, Drake J, Hindi B, Natale NR, Daniels S, Fanelli R, Miller A, Landis T, Gilbert A, Johnson S, Lai A, Hyer M, Rzucidlo A, Anchor C, Gehrt S, Lambert K

The Journal of comparative neurology2021

DOI: 10.1002/cne.25197 PMID: 34076254

How wildlife adapt to urban environments and the role of cognition in the success of urban wildlife

Principal investigatorNSERC2022Discovery Launch Supplement

Principal investigators: Benson-Amram, Sarah

$12,500

How wildlife adapt to urban environments and the role of cognition in the success of urban wildlife

Principal investigatorNSERC2022Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Principal investigators: Benson-Amram, Sarah

Keywords: animal cognition; behavioral flexibility; urban ecology; animal personality; animal behavior; social behavior; innovative problem solving; urban wildlife; cognitive ecology; raccoon

$99,000

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their NSERC grant from 2022

Subject: Prospective PhD student Dear Professor Benson-Amram, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Evaluating inhibitory control in captive raccoons (Procyon lotor) using the cylinder task." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your NSERC-funded project "How wildlife adapt to urban environments and the role of cognition in the success of urban wildlife" (2022), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]