Mary Lee Jensvold

Dr. Mary Lee Jensvold is the Director of the Chimpanzee and Human Communication Institute (CHCI). CHCI is the home of the chimpanzee Washoe, the first non-human to acquire a human language, and three other chimpanzees who use the signs of American Sign Language to communicate with one another and their human caregivers.

Dr. Jensvold studies communication and other behaviors in chimpanzees. She has been working with Washoe and her family since 1986. In 1985 she received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Oregon, in 1989 a M.S. in Experimental Psychology from Central Washington University, and in 1996 a Ph.D. in Experimental Psychology from the University of Nevada, Reno.

She specializes in ethological studies of great apes, animal intelligence, communication, and language. Her studies include chimpanzee conversational skills, imaginary play in chimpanzees, and environmental enrichment for captive chimpanzees. She is Assistant Professor in the Primate Behavior and Ecology Program and the Anthropology Department at Central Washington University.