Anthropology Primatology at Emory

Emory scientists work to continue Jane Goodall’s legacy Emory University scholars forged close bonds with the legendary naturalist and humanitarian Jane Goodall over many years, supporting her work to put hope into action in Tanzania and globally.

See how APE lab researchers are carrying on Jane Goodall’s legacy: news.emory.edu/features/202...?

Graduate student Evan Cunningham (Advisor: @mebenitez.bsky.social) is also working on field research at the Taboga forest reserve, studying social learning in capuchins.🐵🧠

Undergraduate Jackie Zhou (Advisor: @mebenitez.bsky.social) was awarded the Outstanding Junior Award in Anthropology and participated in capuchin research at the Taboga forest reserve in Costa Rica.

Graduate students Giuliana Centofanti and Amber Shaw (Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Lonsdorf) were awarded a Halle Institute research grant and visited the Gombe Stream Research Centre to study chimpanzees.

This summer, members of the APE Lab have been out in the field working on some great research. Check out photos from their trips below! 🌿🥾🐒

Recently, graduate students @nicolefurgala.bsky.social, Federico Sánchez Vargas, and Amber Shaw were awarded Lewis and Clark Expedition grants. Evan Cunningham was also awarded a Leakey Foundation Research Grant. We are so excited to see their research advance!

Photo with Dr. Sarah Kovalaskas and her advisor, Dr Marcela Benítez, at her doctoral defense.

Dr. Sarah Kovalaskas with a celebratory cake after presenting her dissertation.

On April 18th, @sarahkovo.bsky.social (Advisor: @mebenitez.bsky.social) defended her doctoral dissertation “From Conflict to Cohesion: The effect of intergroup competition on affiliation, oxytocin, and group cohesion in wild capuchin monkeys.” We are so proud of all her amazing work!

Headshot of Grace Cayless

Headshot of Elise Isakov.

In May, undergraduates Elise Isakov and Grace Cayless both graduated with their Bachelor's degrees. We'll miss them, but we are so excited to see what they do next!

Group photo with the award recipients at the ceremony.

Photo of undergraduate Grace Cayless with her advisor, Dr. Elizabeth Lonsdorf.

Also in April, lab members Grace Cayless, Jackie Zhou, and @sarahkovo.bsky.social all received awards for their outstanding work at the Anthropology Honors and Awards Ceremony 🥳

Headshot of Nicole Furgala

Headshot of Evan Cunningham

In April, two of our graduate students, @nicolefurgala.bsky.social and Evan Cunningham, successfully advanced to PhD candidacy. Congrats to both on this milestone!

The APE Lab had a busy semester this year, so here is a highlight reel of some of our favorite moments... #SemesterRecap 🐵 🎓📚

Flyer with the text: The summer fight for science/the time is now. Join the fight at standupforscience.net. Logo. Background is the statue of liberty.

Calico cat curled up on a couch, one eye partially open, front paws crossed over her back legs and tail.

Photo of a young retriever puppy following a pointing finger towards an overturned cup. The puppy is about to touch the cup.

Details TBD, but I'm planning to do a teach-in later this month!

Tentative topic: "How do our pets think? And how do we know?" 🐶🐈‍⬛

Fellow scientists: what spiel can *you* give to a general audience?

Everyone: what do you want to hear about?

#StandUpForScience #FundScience #Dogs #Cats #Animals

Amber Shaw on causes of mortality in wild chimpanzees

Federico Sánchez Vargas on machine learning methods and primate cognition

Arianna Mistry on reproductive senescence in capuchins

Giuliana Centofanti on orphan chimpanzees in Gombe

Grace Cayless on early life adversity in chimpanzees

APE Lab members had a fantastic time at the South Eastern Evolution and Human Behavior Conference last weekend 🐵 Keep scrolling for a recap of our posters and presentations! #SEEHB2025

Happy New Year from the APE Lab! Wishing everyone a wonderful 2025 🐵 🥳

Join members of the APE Lab at #SEEHB2025 this February 8th, 2025! Faculty and students across anthropology, biology, psychology, and beyond are all welcome to submit abstracts (250-300 words) for poster or podium presentations.🧠🐒

Register here by January 17th, 2025! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

🌡️🔥Check out our new Science Advances paper on how #ClimateChange impacts the immune performance of wild capuchins 🐒!

Lead by Jordan Lucore check out the full paper: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Watch the explainer video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7yl...

Hi there! We are the Anthropology Primatology Lab at Emory. As a joint lab between Dr. Elizabeth Lonsdorf and @mebenitez.bsky.social, we study primate social behavior, cognition, health, & development. Check out our website at apes.emory.edu and follow along here to see our work and recent news! 🐵🧠📚