Michelle Brown, PhD

primate behavioral ecology

Michelle Brown, PhD

primate behavioral ecology

Research

I seek to identify the drivers of social variation, with a particular emphasis on the strategies used in feeding competition among individuals, groups, and species.

I analyze patterns of movement, foraging, communication, and agonism to generate novel insights into the form, function, and consequences of competition.

My team - which includes graduate students, a project manager, and 6 field assistants - studies 9 groups of red-tailed monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius), 7 groups of blue monkeys (C. mitis), and 7 groups of grey-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena). We have recently begun observations of 1 olive baboon (Papio anubis) and 1 L'Hoest's monkey (Allochrocebus lhoesti) group. Our work occurs mainly at the Ngogo research station in Kibale National Park in western Uganda, and to a lesser extent at several other sites in Uganda, including the Kanyawara research station, Rwengobe forest fragment, and Mabira Forest.

In addition to behavioral observations, we conduct plant reproductive phenology censuses, vertebrate censuses, and playback experiments. We collect urine and feces for analysis of hormones, gastrointestinal parasites, and DNA, which we analyze at the UCSB Biobehavioral Laboratory.

I welcome collaborations and am happy to share the data we have collected. The ranging data is viewable at www.movebank.org; type "NMP" into the search box on the Map or Studies pages to view these datasets.

Logo by @lazaroillustration

Projects

Community Energetics

We measure biomarkers of energetic condition in a community of fruit-eating forest primates in an attempt to measure the drivers and costs of feeding competition across social and spatio-temporal scales.

[with Ronnie Steinitz]

Intergroup Conflict

Community Energetics

Why do species with similar diets have such different styles of intergroup conflict?

I test old and new hypotheses regarding male and female participation, collective action problems, and territoriality.

Blue Monkey Health & Disease

What's killing the blue monkeys of Kibale?

We explore the impact of disease, infanticide, and feeding competition on the population dynamics of the so-called 'gentle monkey.'

[with Hannah Frogge, Nic Thompson González, & Revée Jones]

Diversity in STEM

Blue Monkey Health & Disease

Fieldwork is an important part of some STEM disciplines but is also a major barrier to diversifying these fields. My goal is to create a mechanism to connect post-grads from under-represented minorities with paid, safe, and instructive fieldwork opportunities.

About Me

Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, UC Santa Barbara

My work is rooted in a deep love of tropical rainforests and their inhabitants. I currently conduct my research in Kibale National Park in western Uganda but have also worked in Gunung Palung National Park in western Borneo, Kakamega Forest in Kenya, and several other sites.

I'm from Chicago and graduated from Harvard University (A.B. in Cognitive Neuroscience in 2000) and Columbia University (Ph.D. in Evolutionary Primatology in 2011). I conducted an NSF-funded postdoctoral project (2011-2014) with ties to the University of New Mexico and began working at UCSB in 2015. I was on medical leave for cancer treatment throughout 2015-2016.

I am the founder and Director of the Ngogo Monkey Project, based in Kibale National Park in western Uganda. I am also a co-Director of the UCSB Biobehavioral Laboratory.

Prior to pursuing an academic career, I worked as an intern at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, project manager for the Gunung Palung Orangutan Project, and Papua Coordinator for the Indonesia & Melanesia Programs at Conservation International.

As one of the very few Black Americans in primatology and a first-generation scholar, I am dedicated to diversifying this field by recruiting, training, and mentoring students from under-represented groups in STEM. Do not hesitate to contact me if you are interested in exploring your options in animal behavior, primatology, fieldwork, or biological anthropology.

Photo credit: Kevin Langergraber