Slideshows:

• Chimpanzees of Gishwati
• Rebecca Chancellor in Rwanda
• The Heart of the Forest

Videos:

• Tracking the Forest of Hope chimpanzees

• Chimpanzee Cam I

• Gishwati Area Conservation Program

Dr. Rebecca Chancellor

Principal Investigator

As principal investigator of the Gishwati Area Conservation Proram, Dr. Chancellor seeks to understand feeding and ranging behavior, degree of genetic relatedness, health and nutritional status, and degree of human-chimpanzee conflict. Since the research program started in September of 2008, Chancellor and her team have collected data on diet and ranging patterns, and general aspects of the forest such as tree density, distribution and phenology.

Chancellor is also working on understanding the genetic relatedness of the chimpanzee population in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute, and collaborating with colleagues from Emory University and University of Alabama at Birmingham to examine the effect of human activity on the prevalence of parasites and viruses within the population. Furthermore, as the chimpanzees become more habituated, Chancellor anticipate's obtaining more detailed behavioral observations of their feeding, social, and cultural behavior.

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Chancellor is an anthropologically trained primatologist specializing in behavioral ecology, particularly of Old World primates. She earned her Ph.D. in 2008 from the University of California, Davis. Chancellor has research experience with multiple primate species, including free-ranging and captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), free-ranging gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena), patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas), and vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops), and captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).

Chancellor's research interests currently focus on understanding the ecological underpinnings of social behavior. Her dissertation research focused on feeding competition and female social relationships in Old World primates. For 20 months, Chancellor conducted field research on gray-cheeked mangabeys in Kibale National Park, Uganda.

Honors

• 2004, The Leakey Foundation Research Grant
• 2003, The Leakey Foundation Research Grant
• 2006, Professors for the Future Fellowship, UC Davis
• 2007, American Society of Primatologists Small Research Grant

Professional Organizations

• 2001-03: Editorial Associate, Current Anthropology
• 1999-present: International Primatological Society
• 1999-present: American Society of Primatologists
• 2004-present: Animal Behavior Society
• 2005-present: Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society
• 2005-present: Society for Conservation Biology
• 2007-present: Phi Sigma, National Biological Honorary Society
• 2008-present : American Association of Physical Anthropologists

Scientific Articles

• Janmaat, K.R.L. and Chancellor, R.L. in press. Exploring new areas: How important is long-term spatial memory for mangabey foraging efficiency? International Journal of Primatology.
• Isbell, L.A., Young, T.P., Jaffe, K.E., Carlson, A.A., and Chancellor, R.L. 2009. Demography and life histories of sympatric patas monkeys (Erythrocebus patas) and vervets (Cercopithecus aethiops) in Laikipia, Kenya. International Journal of Primatology 30:103-124.
• Chancellor, R.L. and Isbell, L.A. 2009. Female grooming markets in a population of gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena). Behavioral Ecology 20:79-86.
• Chancellor, R.L. and Isbell, L.A. 2009. Food site residence time and female competitive relationships in wild gray-cheeked mangabeys (Lophocebus albigena). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 63:1447-1458.
• Janmaat, K.R.L., Olupot, W., Chancellor, R.L., Arlet, M.E., and Waser, P.M. 2009. Long-term site fidelity and individual home range shifts in Lophocebus albigena. International Journal of Primatology 30:443-466.
• Chancellor, R.L. and Isbell, L.A. 2008. Punishment and competition over food in captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Animal Behaviour 75:1939-1947.