Fiona A. Stewart

Fiona A. Stewart is a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Anthropology at University College London and a Research Fellow in Chimpanzee Conservation at Liverpool John Moores University's School of Biological and Environmental Sciences. She also serves as an Associated Researcher in the Department of Human Origins at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. With a PhD from the University of Cambridge (2011) and a Zoology degree from the University of Glasgow, Dr. Stewart has established herself as a leading researcher in primate behavioral ecology.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Zoology from University of Cambridge (2011)
• M. Sci research conducted in Fongoli, Senegal
• First degree in Zoology from University of Glasgow

Dr. Stewart's research focuses on the behavioral ecology of chimpanzees and sympatric primate species in the dry, open, and savanna woodland mosaic habitat of the Issa Valley in western Tanzania. She has worked in Tanzania since 2005, establishing the Issa field station in 2008 for long-term research. Her work particularly examines how similar habitats may have influenced early hominin behavior and evolution, with a special interest in spatial cognition and responses to fire and burned landscapes. She also investigates the selective factors shaping sleep patterns and their influence on the evolution of cognition in primates, building on her PhD research into nest building behavior.

Dr. Stewart's extensive publication record demonstrates a strong focus on chimpanzee behavioral diversity, habitat use, conservation, and the ecological factors shaping primate behavior in challenging savanna environments. Her work combines traditional field observations with cutting-edge technologies like drones for monitoring chimpanzee populations at the edge of their distribution. She has made significant contributions to understanding the relationship between environmental variability and chimpanzee behavioral diversity, as well as the impacts of human disturbance on primate populations and their health.

Her scientific contributions span multiple areas including:

• Chimpanzee behavioral ecology in marginal habitats
• Nest-building behavior and sleep patterns in savanna chimpanzees
• Human-chimpanzee interactions in shared landscapes
• Conservation strategies for chimpanzees in fragmented habitats
• Primate responses to environmental change

Dr. Stewart regularly coordinates survey efforts across the Greater Mahale Ecosystem, providing essential data to aid in the protection of both human and non-human primate use of these landscapes. Her work bridges evolutionary anthropology with contemporary conservation challenges, recognizing chimpanzees as a key umbrella species for ecosystem protection.