Cheryl Knott

Cheryl Knott is a Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences at Boston University, affiliated with the Department of Biology and the Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies program. She serves as Interim Chair of Anthropology (2024-25) and is the founder and director of the Gunung Palung Orangutan Project, a long-term study of wild orangutans in Borneo’s Gunung Palung National Park. Her research integrates primatology, conservation biology, and human evolution, focusing on orangutan behavior, ecology, and reproductive strategies.

• Education: PhD in Anthropology (Harvard University), AM (Harvard), BS (University of California, Davis).
• Affiliations: BU’s Anthropology and Biology departments, Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program (GPOCP), and collaborations with Indonesian institutions.

Her research explores orangutan adaptations to environmental challenges, including slow juvenile growth, reproductive timing, and sociosexual behavior. She pioneered non-invasive physiological methods, such as hormone analysis from urine samples, and led conservation efforts combining education, habitat protection, and community engagement. Knott is a National Geographic Emerging Explorer and recipient of the Templeton Award for student advising.

Her recent work includes studies on orangutan social networks, maternal-offspring relationships, and the impact of environmental education programs. She also investigates the role of conservation in mitigating threats like deforestation and the illegal pet trade.

• Grants & Awards: Templeton Award, Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Environmental Scholar (Yale University), and numerous grants supporting fieldwork and conservation.
• Labs & Teams: Knott Lab (BU), GPOCP, and international collaborations with universities and NGOs.