Hella Péter
“Hi, I’m Hella and I'm a PhD student in Anthropology at the University of Kent! I research how limited water availability influences the social behaviour and travel patterns of wild female chimpanzees. To do so, I divide my time between the UK, coding videos, writing, teaching, and doing statistics, and Uganda, doing fieldwork. By studying this topic, I am hoping to understand the role of water in chimpanzee socioecology better, as well as how moving from rainforests to drier grasslands could have shaped early human evolution.
I also have combined-type ADHD, meaning I have both hyperactive and inattentive symptoms. I got my diagnosis as an adult, and initially had mixed feelings about it. On one hand, a late diagnosis can come as a relief, but on the other, there can also be a lot of sadness and hurt from slipping under the radar and being treated as a square peg in a round hole by our education system for so long. I decided to be open about my ADHD early on exactly because of this experience – ADHD isn’t just for young boys, it isn’t just physical hyperactivity, and it’s certainly not just bad school performance. I also believe that besides the obvious negative symptoms, my ADHD actually makes me a better scientist! I’m curious, creative, think outside the box, work very well under pressure, and excellent in getting other people hyped about chimps and primatology“
Twitter: @HellaPeter_
