Kelly Jaakkola is Director of Research for the Dolphin Research Center in Grassy Key, Florida. She earned her Master's degree in Psychology from Emory University, where she began her career studying cognition in chimpanzees and human children, and received her Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from MIT. Her past research includes studies on number concepts, object permanence, imitation, and communication in dolphins, chimpanzees, and human children. Her current work focuses on dolphin cognition, communication and welfare.