Voyages Event Program
“Survival of the Friendliest”
Brian Hare
Anthropology Professor, Behaviorist Researcher,
and NYT Best-Selling Author of “The Genius of Dogs”
February 5, 2026
7 – 8:15 PM (EST – U.S. and Canada)
Lecture and Audience Q&A
ECU Main Campus Student Center Ballroom, 501 E. 10th St., Greenville, NC
Welcoming Remarks
Dr. Allison S. Danell
Dean, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences
East Carolina University
Introduction and Moderated Q&A
Dr. Tuan Tran
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology
Director, Neuroscience Program
East Carolina University
Speaker Biography
Dr. Brian Hare is a professor of evolutionary anthropology, psychology and neuroscience, and a core member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2004, and in 2005, following his work at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, Germany, he was awarded the Sofia Kovalevskaja Award, Germany’s most prestigious award for scientists under the age of 40.
In 2007, Smithsonian Magazine named Hare one of the top 35 scientists under 36. Hare has published more than 100 scientific papers, and his research has received consistent national and international attention. In 2019, Hare and his research were featured in Steven Spielberg’s documentary series “Why We Hate.”
In 2024, Hare and his wife and research partner, Vanessa Woods, were featured in the Netflix documentary, “Inside the Mind of Dogs,” which explores the emotional aspects of dogs, and also showcases Duke’s Canine Cognition Center, where Woods and Hare train puppies to be service dogs.
Hare is the author of several best-selling books with Woods, including “The Genius of Dogs,” “Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity” and “Puppy Kindergarten.” His second book, “Survival of the Friendliest,” was an international bestseller and won the Smart Book of the Year for 2022.
Voyages Series Co-Hosts
Ms. Harvey S. Wooten
Mr. William Phillip Hodges & Mrs. Lisa Brewer Hodges
Mr. Alton Wayne Holloman & Mrs. Sherry McKee Holloman
Voyages Series Contributing Sponsors
ECU Contributing Sponsors:
ECU Department of Anthropology
ECU Department of Psychology & the Neuroscience Program
ECU Honors College
W. Keats Sparrow Distinguished Chair in the Liberal Arts
Community and Corporate Contributing Sponsors: