Christopher A. Schmitt
Curriculum Vitae
(last update: 10JUL2020)
EDUCATION
2010 Ph.D. New York University – Biological Anthropology
2006 M.A. New York University – Biological Anthropology
2003 B.S. University of Wisconsin, Madison – English Literature & Zoology
PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS
2015 - pres. Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Boston University
2016 – pres. Joint Programmatic Appointment, Department of Biology, Boston University
2015 – pres. Affiliated Faculty, Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Program, Boston University
2014 – 2015 Postdoctoral Scholar, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Human Evolution Research Center, University of California – Berkeley
2013 – 2014 Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, University of Southern California
2010 – 2013 Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UCLA Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS (green indicates active link to publication site)
29. Jasinska AJ, Dong TS, Lagishetty V, Katzka W, Jacobs JP, Schmitt CA, Cramer JD, Ma D, Coetzer WG, Grobler JP, Turner TR, Freimer N, Pandrea I & Apetrei C. 2020. Shifts in microbial diversity, composition, and functionality in the gut and genital microbiome during a natural SIV infection in vervet monkeys. Microbiome 8: 154.
28. Brasil MF, Monson TA, Schmitt CA, Hlusko LJ. Accepted. A genotype:phenotype approach to testing taxonomic hypotheses in hominids. Naturwissenschaften 107: 40.
27. Schmitt CA, Bergey CM, Jasinska AJ, Ramensky V, Burt F, Svardal H, Jorgensen MJJ, Freimer NB, Grobler JP, Turner TR. 2020. ACE2 and TMPRSS2 variation in savanna monkeys (Chlorocebus spp.): Potential risk for zoonotic/anthroponotic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 and a potential model for functional studies. PLoS ONE 15(6): e0235106.
26. McHugh SM, Cornejo FM, McKibben J, Zarate M, Tello C, Jiménez CF, Schmitt CA. In press. First detection of the Peruvian yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda) in the Región Junín, Peru. Oryx. doi:10.1017/S003060531900084X
25. Schmitt CA, Garrett EC. In press. De-scent with modification: More evidence and caution needed to assess whether the loss of a pheromone signaling protein permitted the evolution of same-sex sexual behavior in primates. Archives of Sexual Behavior. doi:10.1007/s10508-019-01583-z
24. Jarrett JD, Bonnell T, Jorgensen MJ, Schmitt CA, Young C, Dostie M, Barrett L, Henzi SP. 2020. Modelling variation in the growth of wild and captive juvenile vervet monkeys. American Journal of Physical Anthropology. 171:19-99. doi:10.1002/ajpa.23960
23. Monson TA, Brasil MF, Boisserie J-R, Clay S, Dvoretzky R, Ravindramurthy S, Schmitt CA, Souron A, Takenaka R, Ungar PS, Yoo S-W, Zuercher ME, Hlusko LJ. 2019. Evidence of strong stabilizing effects on the evolution of boreoeutherian (Mammalia) dental proportions. Ecology & Evolution, 9(13), 7597-7612.
22. Meredith SM, Schmitt CA. 2019. The outliers are in: Queer perspectives on investigating variation in biological anthropology. In: Vital Topics Forum: How Academic Diversity is Transforming Scientific Knowledge in Biological Anthropology (Bolnick DA, Smith RWA, Fuentes A, Eds). American Anthropologist, 121(2): 487-489.
21. Turner TR, Schmitt CA, Cramer JD, Lorenz J, Grobler JP, Jolly CJ, and Freimer NB. Morphological variation in the genus Chlorocebus: Ecogeographic and anthropogenically mediated variation in body mass, postcranial morphology, and growth. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 166: 682-707.
20. Schmitt CA, Service S, Cantor RM, Jasinska AJ, Jorgensen MJ, Kaplan JR, and Freimer NB. High heritability of obesity and obesogenic growth are both highly heritable and modified by diet in a nonhuman primate model, the African green monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). International Journal of Obesity, 42: 765-774.
19. Coetzer WG, Turner TR, Schmitt CA, Grobler JP. 2018. Adaptive genetic variation at three loci in South African vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) and the role of selection within Primates. PeerJ 6: e4953.
18. Jasinska AJ, Zelaya I, Service SK, Peterson C, Cantor RM, Choi O-W, DeYoung J, Eskin E, Fairbanks LA, Fears S, Furterer A, Huang YS, Ramensky V, Schmitt CA, Svardal H, Jorgensen MJ, Kaplan JR, Villar D, Aken BL, Flicek P, Nag R, Wong ES, Blangero J, Dyer TD, Bogomolov M, Benjamini Y, Weinstock GM, Dewar K, Sabatti C, Wilson RK, Jentsch JD, Warren W, Coppola G, Woods RP, Freimer NB. (2017). Genetic variation and gene expression across multiple tissues and developmental stages in a non-human primate. Nature Genetics 49: 1714–1721.
17. Svardal H, Jasinska AJ, Apetrei C, Coppola G, Huang Y, Schmitt CA, Jacquelin B, Müller-Trutwin M, Weinstock G, Grobler JP, Wilson RK, Turner TR, Warren WC, Freimer NB, Nordborg M. Ancient hybridization and strong adaptation to viruses across African vervet monkey populations. Nature Genetics 49: 1705–1713.
16. Hlusko LJ, Schmitt CA, Monson T, Brasil M and Mahaney MC. (2016). The integration of quantitative genetics, paleontology, and neontology reveals genetic underpinnings of primate dental evolution. PNAS 113(33): 9262-9267.
15. Senghore M, Bayliss S, Kwambana-Adams B, Foster-Nyarko E, Manneh J, Dione M, Badji H, Ebruke C, Dought E, Thorpe H, Jasinska A, Schmitt C, Cramer J, Turner T, Weinstock G, Freimer N, Pallen M, Feil E, Antonio M. Whole-genome sequencing reveals transmission of Staphylococcus aureus from humans to green monkeys in The Gambia. Appl Env Microbiol 82(19):5910-5917.
14. Turner TR, Coetzeer WG, Schmitt CA, Lorenz J, Freimer NB, Grobler JP. 2016. Localized population divergence of vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus spp.) in South Africa: evidence from mtDNA. Am J Phys Anthropol 159:17-30.
13. Warren WC, Jasinska AJ, Garcia-Perez R, Svardel H, Tomlinson C, Rocchi M, Archidiacono N, Capozzi O, Minx P, Montague MJ, Kyung K, Hillier LW, Kremitzki M, Graves T, Chiang C, Hughes J, Tran N, Wang Y, Ramensky V, Choi O, Jung YJ, Schmitt CA, Juretic N, Wasserscheid J, Turner TR, Wiseman RW, Tuscher JJ, Karl JA, Schmitz JE, Zahn R, O’Connor DH, Redmond E, Nisbett A, Jacquelin B, Müller-Trutwin MC, Brenchley JM, Dione M, Antonio A, Schroth GP, Kaplan JR, Jorgensen MJ, Thomas GWC, Hahn MW, Raney B, Aken B, Schmitz J, Churakov G, Noll A, Stanyon R, Webb D, Thibaud-Nissen F, Nordborg M, Marques-Bonet T, Dewar K, Weinstock GM, Wilson RK, Freimer NB. 2015. The genome of the vervet (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus). Genome Research 25:1921-1933.
12. Rodriguez RL, Cramer JD, Schmitt CA, Gaetano TJ, Grobler JP, Freimer NB, and Turner TR. 2015. Adult age confounds estimates of static allometric slopes in a vertebrate. Ethol Ecol Evol 27:412-421.
11. Amato KR, Yeoman CJ, Cerda G, Schmitt CA, Cramer JD, Berg Miller MB, Gomez A, Turner TR, Wilson BA, Stumpf RM, Nelson KE, White BA, Knight R and Leigh SR. 2015. Variable responses of human and non-human primate gut microbiomes to a Western diet. Microbiome 3:53.
10. Schmitt CA and Di Fiore A. 2015. Predation risk sensitivity and the spatial organization of primate groups: A case study using GIS in lowland woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii). Am J Phys Anthropol 156:158-165.
9. Di Fiore A, Chaves P, Cornejo F, Schmitt CA, Shanee S, Cortes-Ortiz L, Fagundes V, Roos C, and Pacheco V. (2015). Rise and fall of a genus: Complete mtDNA coding sequences shed light on the phylogenetic position of yellow-tailed woolly monkeys, Lagothrix (Oreonax) flavicauda, and on the evolutionary history of the Neotropical primate family Atelidae (Platyrrhini). Mol Phylogenet Evol 82(B):495-510.
8. Rodriguez RL, Cramer JD, Schmitt CA, Gaetano TJ, Grobler JP, Freimer NB, and Turner TR. 2015. The static allometry of sexual and non-sexual traits in vervet monkeys. Biol J Linnean Soc 114:527-537.
7. Ma D, Jasinska AJ, Feyertag F, Wijewardana V, Kristoff J, He Tianyu, Raehtz K, Schmitt CA, Jung Y, Dione M, Antonio M, Tracy R, Turner T, Robertson DL, Pandrea I, Freimer NB, and Apetrei C. 2014. Factors associated with SIV transmission in a natural African nonhuman primate host in the wild. J Virol 88(12):6778-6792.
6. Schmitt CA and Di Fiore A. 2014. Juvenile woolly monkeys: Behavior, development, and life history. In The Woolly Monkey: Behavior, Ecology, Systematics and Conservation Research (ed. Thomas Defler and Pablo Stevenson). Springer. p. 113 - 148.
5. Gaetano TJ, Danzy J, Mtshali MS, Theron N, Schmitt CA, Grobler JP, Freimer N, and Turner TR. 2014. Mapping correlates of parasitism in wild South African vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops). S African J Wildlife Res 44(1):56-70.
4. Jasinska AJ, Schmitt CA, Service SK, Cantor RM, Dewar K, Jentsch DJ, Kaplan JR, Turner TR, Warren WC, Weinstock, GM, Woods RP, Freimer NB. 2013. Systems biology of the vervet monkey. ILAR / Natl Res Council. 54:122-143.
3. Ma D, Jasinska A, Kristoff J, Grobler P, Turner T, Jung Y, Schmitt C, Raehtz K, Martinez N, Wijewardana V, Tracy R, Pandrea I, Freimer N, and Apetrei C. 2013. SIVagm infection in wild African green monkeys from South Africa: epidemiology, natural history, and evolutionary considerations. PLoS Pathogens 9(1):1-18.
2. Cramer JD, Gaetano TJ, Gray JP, Grobler JP, Lorenz J, Freimer NB, Schmitt CA, and Turner TR. 2013. Variation in scrotal color among widely distributed vervet monkey populations (C. a. pygerythrus and C. a. sabaeus). Am J Primatol 75:752-762.
1. Di Fiore A, Link A, Schmitt CA, and Spehar S. 2009. Dispersal patterns in sympatric woolly and spider monkeys: Integrating molecular and observational data. Behaviour 146:437-470.
NON-PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
12. Schmitt CA. 2020. Hidden from history, searching for a future: Commentary on the unverified homosexual tendencies of biological anthropologists. American Anthropologist. 122(3): 581-583.
6 - 11. Turner TR, Schmitt CA, Cramer JD. Preface/Introduction/Vervet Taxonomy/Population Genetics/Life History/Ethnoprimatology. 2019. In: Savanna
Monkeys: The Genus Chlorocebus (eds. Turner, TR, Schmitt CA, Cramer JD). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
5. Schmitt CA and Gokcumen O. 2019. Primate genomics and phylogenetics. In: A Companion to Anthropological Genetics (ed. Dennis H. O’Rourke). New York: Wiley.
4. Schmitt CA. 2017. “Christopher Schmitt: Got dengue fever. Tried following monkeys anyway. Became delirious. Wrote in Elvish all over field pants.” In: Fieldwork Fail: The Messy Side of Science (eds. Jourdane J and Groenendijk J). Toulouse: Makisapa Editions. P30-33.
3. Di Fiore A, Fernandez-Duque E, Link A, Schmitt C, Porter A, Álvarez S, Abondano L, Ellis K, Romo D. 2017. Estudios de Primates en La Estación de la Biodiversidad Tiputini. In: Los secretos del Yasuní. Avances en la Investigación del Bosque Tropical. Estación de Biodiversidad Tiputini. Universidad San Francisco de Quito.
2. Schmitt CA. 2013. Column: Postdoc’s Torch Song. Nature 503:155.
1. Schmitt CA. 2011. From “faggot” to field biologist. In It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living. Savage D and Miller T, Eds. New York: Dutton. P235-237
EDITED VOLUMES
Savanna Monkeys: The Genus Chlorocebus. 2019. Turner TR, Schmitt CA, Cramer JD. Cambridge University Press.
HONORS AND AWARDS
Fellowships
2010, 2012 Postdoctoral Fellowship, Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics; $40,000
2009 – 2010 NY Consortium for Evolutionary Primatology, NSF/IGERT; $15,000
2004 – 2009 Henry M. MacCracken Graduate Fellowship; $140,000
Awards
2013 Nature Careers Columnist Contest Winner, Nature Publishing Group
2009 NYU GSAS Travel Grant; $500
2005 – 2006 NYCEP Summer Research Fellowship; $10,000
2005 – 2010 NYU Department of Anthropology Summer Research; $25,000
2004 NYU Dean’s Supplementary Fellowship Grant; $1,000
2003 Phi Kappa Phi Zillman Scholarship; $1,000
GRANTS AWARDED
2019 The Leakey Foundation; $23,111.20
“Modeling the Evolution of Obesity: Gene Expression, Drought, and Anthropogenic Stress in Wild Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)”, with Dr. Alicia Rich and Dr. Amita Kapoor.
2019 National Geographic Explorer Grant; $17,223.60
“Discovering the Evolutionary Origins of Obesity”, with Dr. Alicia Rich and Dr. Amita Kapoor.
2019 CTSI Primate Signature Grant; $19,201.00
“Tracking longitudinal modifications of the epigenome by a Western diet in captive vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus) and their associations with growth and obesity”, with Dr. Ellen Quillen, Dr. Kylie Kavanagh, and Dr. Matthew Jorgensen.
2019 Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation; $10,000.00
“Impact of habitat fragmentation on genetic variation in the yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda) in Peru”, with Mel Zarate.
2019 Primate Conservation, Inc.; $2,100.00
“Impact of habitat fragmentation on genetic variation in the yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda) in Peru”, with Mel Zarate.
2016 Boston University Center for the Humanities: “Tertulia: Junior Faculty Colloquium”, with Dr. Charles Chang. $3,500
2011 National Institutes of Health (T32) Postdoctoral Training Grant; $40,000
“Genomics of obesity during development in a model system” (NIH/NINDS 2-T32-NS048004-06A1, Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics, UCLA)
2008 National Science Foundation Dissertation Improvement Grant; $11,000
“Assessing the interaction of risk aversion and social organization in juvenile primates” (BCS-0824372)
2008 NYU GSAS Sokol Research Award; $5,000
“A preliminary assessment of yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda) behavior and population genetics”
INVITED PRESENTATIONS
2020 University of Wisconsin - Madison, TBD. March 9, 2020.
2020 University of South Florida, TBD. March 1, 2020.
2019 Plenary Speaker, 2do Congreso de la Asociación Peruana de Primatología, Lima, Peru [in Spanish]. “Genómic evolutiva de rasgos complejos en primates”. August 15.
2019 Guest Lecture, Cocha Cashu Biological Station, Peru. “El Estudio de la Genética de Primates Silvestres”. August 25.
2019 University of Cape Town: “Modeling the Evolutionary Origins of Obesity: Progress and Prospects in the Vervet Monkey”. July 15.
2019 University of Cape Town: “On Being a Queer Primatologist: Challenges and Progress in Being LGBTQ+ in Field-Based STEM Research”. July 18.
2018 Wake Forest School of Medicine, Center for Precision Medicine: “The Genomics of Obesity in the Vervet Model”, November 14.
2018 Northwestern University: The evolutionary genomics of body size and obesity: Progress and prospects in a vervet monkey model, October 19.
2018 University of Calgary: Building a Model for the Evolutionary Genomics of Obesity: Progress and Prospects in the Vervet Monkey, Sept 24.
2018 UMass Amherst: “Towards an Integrative Understanding of the Evolution of Body Size in Vervet Monkeys: Human Impacts, Climate, and Genomics.” March 28.
2018 UMass Amherst: “On Being a Queer Primatologist: Challenges and Progress in Field-Based STEM Research.” March 28.
2018 Invited Panelist: “BU Data Science Day: Epigenetics Panel: ‘Gestational Programming, Obesity, and the Transcriptome of Vervets”. Jan 26.
2017 Invited Panelist: “Crafting Your Online Scholarly Persona: "Social Media and Primatology from the Field”, October 25.
2017 Invited Discussant: “Anthropology Matters - Fighting essentialist ideas about poverty, race, and intelligence in the Trump Era”, AAA, Dec 2.
2017 Pennsylvania State University: “Ecogeographic, genomic, and anthropogenically mediated variation related to body mass and growth in the genus Chlorocebus.” October 6.
2016 Invited Keynote: “’Look How You’ve Grown!’: Integrative Perspectives on Growth and Development in Primatology”, Northeastern Evolutionary Primatology Conference, Hunter College. November 4.
2016 Invited Panelist: Talking Primates: Developing Tactics to Better Communicate Research in Primatology. IPS/ASP 2016, Chicago, IL. August 22.
2016 University of Cape Town: “The integration of quantitative genetics, paleontology, and neontology reveals genetic underpinnings of primate dental evolution”, August 10.
2016 University of Zürich: “Life History, Development, and Genomics in the Genus Chlorocebus”, March 7, 2016.
2015 Boston University: “Genomics, Development, and the Evolution of Obesity”, Apr 16, 2015.
2014 Florida Atlantic University: “Anthropological Genomics”, Nov 5, 2014.
2014 UC Davis: “Genomics of obesogenic growth in vervets”, Oct 6, 2014.
2014 UCLA Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture: “The genomics of obesogenic growth during development in captive vervets”, Apr 7, 2014.
2014 UC Berkeley: “Genomics of obesogenic growth in vervet monkeys”, Feb 28, 2014
2014 UCLA Center for Behavior, Evolution, and Culture: “TBA”, April 7, 2014.
2014 University of North Texas Health Sciences Campus, Fort Worth, TX: “Heritability of obesogenic growth in captive vervet monkeys”, Feb 7.
2014 AGAR Primate Genomics Workshop, San Antonio, TX. “Establishing a wild primate model for analysis of complex traits”. January 9, 2014.
2012 Neurobehavioral Genetics Retreat, Los Angeles, CA: “Preliminary Analyses of Stress Responses in Trapped Wild South African Vervet
Monkeys”, February 13, 2012.
2010 NYCEP Seminar, New York, NY: “Risk Aversion and Social Organization in Juvenile Atelin Primates”,
March 26, 2010.
2008 Special Colloquium, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador: “Estudios Poblaciones de Varias
Especies de Monos en la Amazonía del Ecuador” November 20, 2008.
CHAIRED SYMPOSIA AND SESSIONS
2016 Comparative Approaches to Primate Immunity and Health. Co-organizer with Jessica Brinkworth. IPS/ASP 2016. Chicago, IL. August 21-29,
2016.
2016 Roundtable on Diversity in Primatology. IPS/ASP 2016. Chicago, IL. August 21-29, 2016.
2014 Cross-Disciplinary Research in the Genus Chlorocebus. Co-organizer with Trudy R Turner and Jennifer Danzy Cramer. American
Association of Physical Anthropologists. Calgary, AB. April 9 – 13, 2014.
2014 Primate Genomics Workshop, Texas Biomedical and American Association for Anthropological Genetics. Co-Organizer with Ellen Quillen
and Heather Norton. January 9-10, 2014.
2013 Primatology: Sex, Sociality, Ontogeny, Captivity. American Association of Physical Anthropologists. Knoxville, TN. April 9 – 13, 2013.
2010 Juvenile Primates: It’s About Time! Co-organizer with Connie D. Fellmann. American Association of
Physical Anthropologists. Albuquerque, NM. April 14 – 18, 2010.
PUBLISHED ABSTRACTS
(indicates undergraduate*, graduate**, and postdoctoral*** trainees)
All published abstracts (2005 – present): 59
First authored: 18 (AAPA, ASP, IPS, ASHG, AAA, PEGG)
With students/trainees: 22 (AAPA, ASP, IPS, PEGG)
Selected abstracts from 2019
Gagnon CM**, Svardal H, Jasinska AJ, Freimer NB, Grobler JP, Turner TR. Schmitt CA. 2019. Evidence of selection in the UCP1 gene region suggests local adaptation to cold temperatures in South African vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). 42nd Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists.
Grob GM*, Gagnon CM**, Svardal H, Jasinska AJ, Freimer NB, Grobler JP, Turner TR, Schmitt CA. 2019. Selection in the PPARG gene in relation to cold in South African vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). 5th Conference of the Northeastern Evolutionary Primatology Group. Amherst, MA.
Cooper T*, Gagnon CM**, Svardal H, Jasinska AJ, Freimer NB, Grobler JP, Turner TR, Schmitt CA. 2019. TRPM8 analysis suggests regional selection for cold sensitivity in South African vervets. 5th Conference of the Northeastern Evolutionary Primatology Group. Amherst, MA.
Zarate MA**, Cornejo FM, Shanee S, Schmitt CA. 2019. Impact of habitat fragmentation on genetic diversity of the Critically Endangered yellow-tailed woolly monkey (Lagothrix flavicauda) in Peru. 2nd Congress of the Peruvian Primatological Association. Lima, Peru.
Rich AM***, Schmitt CA, Wasserman MD, Hunt KD, Kaestle FA. 2019. Mitochondrial DNA demonstrates the significance of a Western Gateway in Uganda for Eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) gene flow. 88th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Cleveland, OH.
Parke SR*, Rich AM***, Blaszczyk MB, Schmitt CA. 2019. Timing of reproductive onset among female vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) in wild and human-impacted populations. 88th Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Cleveland, OH.
Grobler JP, Coetzer WG, Schmitt CA, Turner TR. 2019. Patterns of neutral and adaptive genetic diversity in South African vervet monkey populations. 17th Annual Meeting of the Primate Ecology and Genetics Group, National Zoological Gardens, Pretoria, South Africa.
Hlusko LJ, Brasil MF, Boisserie J-R, Clay SM, Dvorestsky R, Monson TM, Ravindramurthy S, Schmitt CA, Souron A, Takenaka R, Ungar PS, Yoo S, Zhou M, Zuercher ME. 2019. Insights from genotype:phenotype mapping the mammalian postcanine dentition. 12th International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology, Prague, Czech Republic.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE, COURSES TAUGHT, MENTORING
Boston University, Department of Anthropology 2015 – pres.
Assistant Professor
Anthropology 102: Human Behavioral Biology and Evolution
Anthropology 233: Evolutionary Biology of Human Variation
Cross-listed with Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Program
Anthropology 331: Human Origins
Anthropology 333/733: Human Population Genetics
Cross-listed with Biology
Anthropology 336/736: Primate Evolutionary Ecology
Anthropology 551: Anthropology and Human Heredity
Anthropology 558: Evolution of Human Sex Differences
Anthropology 597: Project Design and Statistics in Biological Anthropology
Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies 102: Introduction to WGS
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, Department of Anthropology 2016
Instructor
Primate Conservation Genetics (Field Course)
University of California – Berkeley, Department of Integrative Biology 2014 – 2015
Lecturer
Integrative Biology 35 (American Cultures): Human Biological Variation
University of Southern California, Department of Anthropology 2013 – 2014
Lecturer
Anthropology 200: Origins of Humanity
Anthropology 300: Evolution, Ecology, and Culture
Anthropology 304: Primate Social Behavior
Anthropology 406: Special Topic: Primate Life Histories
University of California – Los Angeles, Department of Psychology 2012
Lecturer
Psychology 118: Comparative Psychobiology
Maderas Rainforest Conservancy 2009 – 2013
Instructor
Primate Behavior and Ecology (Field Course)
Advanced Primate Behavior and Ecology (Field Course)
Advising and Mentorship (* = current mentees)
Postdoctoral
2018 – 2019 Alicia M. Rich, Ph.D. (Indiana University)
2016 Maryjka B. Blaszczyk, Ph.D. (New York University)
Graduate
2018 – pres. *Christian Gagnon, Primary Advisor (PhD), Boston University (Anthropology)
2018 – pres. *Melissa Zarate, Primary Advisor (MS), Boston University (Biology); Primary Advisor (PhD), Boston Univeristy (Anthropology)
2019 – pres. *Laura Angley, Primary Advisor (MS), Boston University (Biology)
2015 – pres. Committee Member of 7 current PhD students (in Anthropology, Biology, and Archaeology). Successfully graduated 4 students as committee member.
Undergraduate
2020 – pres. *Jane Hilsenrath, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2020 – pres. *Erica Sun, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2019 – pres. *Karatina Soto, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2019 – pres. *Diem Maxwell, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2019 – pres. *Teodora Lancea, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2018 – pres. *Gianna Grob, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2018 – 2020 Becca De Camp, Research Supervisor, BU, honors research (Anthropology)
2018 – 2020 Ishrat Chowdhury, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2018 – 2019 Joseph O'Sullivan, Research Supervisor, BU, honors research (Biology)
2018 – 2019 Tennyson Cooper, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2017 – 2019 Eleni Constantinou, Research Supervisor, BU, honors research (Anthropology)
2017 – 2019 Evan Razdan, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2016 – 2018 Morgan Farrar, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2016 – 2019 Stephanie Inga, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2016 – 2019 Stacy-Anne Parke, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2015 – 2017 Marwa Sayed, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2015 – 2018 Nicole Lukas, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2015 – 2016 Dillon Travis, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
2015 – 2017 Nicky Eleuteri, Research Supervisor, BU, undergraduate research
RESEARCH EXPERIENCE AND FIELDWORK
Field Experience
2016 – pres. Soetdoring Nature Reserve, !Gariep Dam, Free State, South Africa (6 mo +) (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)
2018 Lilongwe Wildlife Trust, Vwaza National Park, Malawi (Chlorocebus pygerythrus, Chlorocebus hilgerti)
2012, 2013 La Suerte Biological Field Station, Costa Rica; Instructor, Primate Behavior and Ecology.
2012 Barro Colorado Island, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama.
Radiocollaring Ateles geoffroyi (with Dr. Christina Campbell, Bob Lessnau)
2011 Medical Research Council (MRC); National Parks, The Gambia.
Genetic variation in vervet monkey (Chlorocebus spp.) populations
2011 Various sites in St. Kitts and Nevis, Eastern Caribbean.
Genetic variation in vervet monkey (Chlorocebus spp.) populations
2010 Various sites in the Free State/Eastern Cape/Limpopo/KZN, South Africa.
Genetic variation in vervet monkey (Chlorocebus spp.) populations
2009 Ometepe Biological Research Station, Nicaragua; Instructor, Advanced Primate Behavior
2008 – 2009 La Esperanza, San Martín and Amazonas, Peru
Behavior and conservation genetics of wild yellow-tailed woolly monkeys (Lagothrix flavicauda) (with
Neotropical Primate Conservation)
2007 – 2009 Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador
Comparative behavior, development and life history of wild juvenile atelin primates (Lagothrix poeppigii and
Ateles belzebuth)
2006 Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador
Habituation and ranging of wild woolly monkeys (Lagothrix poeppigii)
2005 Tiputini Biodiversity Station, Yasuní Biosphere Reserve, Ecuador
Parental behavior of wild monogamous primates (Aotus vociferans, Callicebus discolor, and Pithecia
aequatorialis) (with Dr. Anthony Di Fiore)
2003 – 2004 Reserva Biologica Lomas Barbudal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
Field assistant, long-term study of wild white-faced capuchins (Cebus
capucinus) (with Dr. Susan Perry and Dr. Joe Manson)
1998 Estacion Biologica Corrientes, Corrientes, Argentina
Earthwatch assistant, study of stress in black and gold howler monkeys (Alouatta caraya) (with Dr.
Govindasamy Agoramoorthy)
Lab Experience
2018 – pres. Co-PI: Sensory Morphology and Genomic Anthropology Lab (SMGAL), Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
2011 – pres. Vervet Research Colony, Wake Forest University, North Carolina, USA
Genomics of spontaneous obesity across development in a model system;
QTL/eQTL analysis of obesity-related anthropometrics in vervets (Chlorocebus aethiops sabaeus)
2011 – pres. Center for Neurobehavioral Genetics; QTL/eQTL
2006 – 2007 American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA
3D geometric morphometrics of the bony shoulder elements in atelin primates (with Dr. Will Harcourt-Smith)
2006 – 2007 GIS Laboratory, Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, USA
Internship in GIS on ranging behavior of solitary Aotus azarai in Formosa, Argentina (with Dr. Eduardo Fernandez-Duque and Dr. Eric Sanderson)
2006 – 2007 NYU Molecular Anthropology Lab, microsatellite analysis of woolly monkey population genetics
2004 – 2005 NYU Molecular Anthropology Lab, intern: sequencing, PCR, microsatellite analysis, fecal/hair extraction
2002 – 2003 Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Lab assistant, study of parental behavior in captive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) (with Dr. Larry Kraemer)
PROFESSIONAL SERVICE ACTIVITIES
Boston University
Charles River Campus IACUC, Alternate (2016 – 2017)
Charles River Campus IACUC, Member (2017 – pres.)
Research and Scholarly Activities Committee, BU (2016 – pres.)
Academic Programming Committee, CAS (Spring 2017; Spring 2019)
Advisory Subcommittee, 5th Annual Academic Advising Symposium (Fall 2017)
Co-Organizer, Tertulia: The Junior Faculty Colloquium, CAS (2016 – 2018)
University Task Force on Gender-Based Harassment, BU (2019 – pres.)
Provost’s Mentor Fellows Program, BU (2019 – pres.)
Editorial Board Membership
American Journal of Physical Anthropology (2019 – pres.)
American Journal of Primatology (2019 – pres.)
Ad hoc Review
National Science Foundation (Biological Anthropology), International Journal of Primatology, Ethology, PLOS One, Conservation Leadership Program, American Journal of Primatology, American Journal of Human Biology, Leakey Foundation, American Anthropologist, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, BMC Zoology, Systematic Biology
Panel Review
Holohil Grant Program – Small Mammals and Primates Panel
National Science Foundation, Graduate Research Fellowship Program (Evolution & Sytematics; Biological Anthropology)
National Science Foundation (Biological Anthropology)
Conference moderator/chair/committee
Student Awards Committee, AAPA (2015 – 2018)
Chair, Media Committee, American Society of Primatologists (2015 – 2018)
Co-Chair, Media Committee, American Society of Primatologists (2014 – 2015)
Programming Committee, American Society of Primatologists (2014 – 2018)
Steering Committee, Gay AAPA (Diversity Committee), AAPA (2013 – present)
Programming Committee, AAPA (2012 –2017)
Auction Committee, AAPA (2013 – 2014)
Co-Chair, Podium Session: Approaches to Primate Immunity and Health, IPS/ASP. Chicago, IL. August 21-29, 2016.
Chair, Podium Session: Neuroscience/Pharmacology/Genetics, ASP. Decatur,GA. September 12 – 15, 2014.
Chair, Podium Session: Cross-Disciplinary Research in the Genus Chlorocebus. AAPA. Calgary, AB. April 10 – 14, 2014.
Co-chair, Podium Session: New Perspectives on Juvenile Primates, AAPA. Albuquerque, NM. April 13 – 18, 2010
Workshops (Organized or Moderated)
Science Diversity Outreach Workshop, Organizer, UC Davis (2014)
Genomics in Anthropology Workshop, Speaker, Flor. Atl. University (2014)
Science and Media Workshop, Panelist, Am Soc of Primatologists (2014)
Primate Genomics, Organizer, Texas Biomedical Research Center (2014)
Select Outreach Presentations
2019 Blog, New population (and new hope) for Critically Endangered Peruvian primate. Oryx Blog,
2019 Skype a Scientist. Horizon Academy (7th Grade), Ocala, FL
2017 Interview, Being queer in the jungle: The unique challenges of LGBTQ scientists working in the field, by Ben Ragen. BMC Blog.
2017 Interview, Is Science Too Straight?, by Barbara Moran, BU Research.
2016 Interview, Why Do Monkeys Get Fat?, by Barbara Moran, BU Today.
2014 Guest Scientist, Podcast, Probably Science
2013 Guest Scientist, Fail Lab web series, 2 episodes. Discovery Channel
2013 CityLab at UCLA (high school): “Primate Behavior and Genomics”
2011 – 2015 Science & Entertainment Exchange, Primatology consultations: Scientific consulting for Walt Disney
Animation, Sony PlayStation, Bad Robot Productions
2010 – pres. Tumblr blog, “Things I Learned as a Field Biologist”, http://evopropinquitous.tumblr.com
2011 It Gets Better Project: “From Faggot to Field Biologist” (Video, Book)
2010 Camp Anerley, KZN, South Africa: “Vervet Monkey Genetics and Disease”, September 8, 2010
2010 Alliance School, Milwaukee, WI: “Careers in Science: Field Research in Primatology”, June 15, 2010
2008 Rufus King High School, Milwaukee, WI: “Careers in Science: Field Research in Primatology”,
November 28, 2008
2008 Alliance School, Milwaukee, WI: “Careers in Science: Field Research in Primatology”, November 27, 2008
2006 Golda Meir Elementary School, Milwaukee, WI: “Careers in Science: Field Research in Primatology”,
December 15, 2006
2006 Innocence Project, New York, NY: “Molecular Genetics and Forensic Science: A Crash Course”
LANGUAGES
Spanish Conversant speaking, reading, writing
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
Animal Behavior Society
American Association of Physical Anthropologists
American Association of Anthropological Genetics
American Society of Human Genetics
American Society of Primatologists
Asociacion Peruana de Primatologia
International Society of Primatologists
NSF Bones and Behavior Working Group
Primate Ecology and Genetics Group (South African Primatological Society)