Evan MacLean is an associate professor at the University of Arizona where he holds appointments in veterinary medicine, psychology, ecology and evolutionary biology, anthropology and cognitive science. He is the founder and director of the Arizona Canine Cognition Center. His research integrates methods from evolutionary biology and comparative psychology to address questions about the mechanisms through which animals represent and reason about the world. He also conducts applied work investigating how research on dog behavior, cognition, genetics and neuroendocrinology can improve the processes through which dogs are selected, bred and trained for roles in society. In addition to his work on animal behavior and cognition, MacLean studies the biological mechanisms of human-animal-interaction, with a focus on the neuropeptides, oxytocin and vasopressin.