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Michelle Y. MERRILL received her Ph.D. in biological anthropology from Duke University. Dr. Merrill is currently an independent researcher and a member of the Advisory Board of the National Ecology and Environment Foundation (India, www.neef.in). She taught anthropology and sustainability at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California for eight years, and was a research fellow at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Dr. Merrill's interests are teaching, learning, the evolution of culture and culture change, and applying those concepts to sustainability: how we can connect with, learn from and teach one another to co-create a resilient, regenerative future. She engages principles, examples and metaphors from ecology and evolutionary biology in solving human design problems in both the social and technological arenas, especially systems thinking and biomimicry. Her current research focus is on Higher Education for Sustainability (HEfS) competences and pedagogies.

She has taught and lectured on evolutionary biology, social networks, anthropology, sustainability and communication for groups ranging from junior high school students to advanced university and professional audiences. She has expertise in animal behavior, evolutionary biology, tropical ecology, and social networks. She has also studied applied complexity science, resilience thinking, and the future of technology and society.

She conducts workshops and trainings related to HEfS. Her website is http://michelleyvonnemerrill.com

Ph.D. 2004 Biological Anthropology and Anatomy, Duke University, Durham, NC USA

Dissertation Title: Orangutan Cultures: Tool Use, Social Transmission and Population Differences

B.A. 1994 Anthropology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA USA