Michelle Brown

Michelle Brown is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Minnesota and Director of the Ngogo Monkey Project in Kibale National Park, Uganda. She holds a PhD in Evolutionary Primatology from Columbia University (2011) and a BA in Cognitive Neuroscience from Harvard University (2000). Her research examines feeding competition, energy dynamics, and social evolution in primates.

Brown leads field studies on:

• Energetic consequences of intergroup conflicts
• Physiological adaptations to seasonal hardships
• Parasite-host dynamics in primate communities
• Population constraints and conservation challenges

Her team monitors 11 red-tailed monkey, 6 blue monkey, and 7 grey-cheeked mangabey groups, collecting behavioral, hormonal, and spatial data. Research integrates field observations, phenology monitoring, hormone assays, and playback experiments to understand primate socioecology.