Sarah Hankerson has been studying the behavioral ecology of primates for over twenty years. She has studied primates in zoos and in their native habitats. Sarah is currently an Associate Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN, USA.

Sarah completed her Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. James Dietz at the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA. Her many projects with the golden lion tamarins include field studies of group composition, resource and habitat use, space use, and the impact of predation and disease on these and other factors. Sarah consults regularly on the conservation efforts surrounding the golden-lion tamarins, including organizing data from over 30 years of research from Poço das Antas Biological Reserve in Rio de Janiero State, Brazil.