Nicole Thompson Gonzalez

Nicole Thompson Gonzalez is an Assistant Professor in Integrative Anthropological Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She co-directs the Kakamega Monkey Project and the Biobehavioral Health Laboratory at UCSB. Her research focuses on the interplay between social integration, health, and reproductive strategies in human and non-human primates, particularly chimpanzees and East African monkeys. She leads a cross-species/cross-cultural working group exploring how ecological and cultural factors shape aging patterns across genders and social statuses.

Her work integrates life history theory with field-based observations and biomarker analyses. Key research themes include age-related social selectivity, immune system energetics, and health disparities. She emphasizes translational research bridging primate studies and human healthspan extension. Gonzalez also advocates for decolonizing conservation science through equitable collaboration with Indigenous communities.

Her research affiliations include the Center for Aging and Longevity Studies (CALS) and the Neuroscience Research Institute at UCSB. She maintains active fieldwork sites in Uganda and Kenya, focusing on wild primate populations. Gonzalez’s methodological toolkit includes social network analysis, endocrinology, and ecological niche modeling.