Nora Bennamoun
Doctoral student
Department of Human Origins
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
e-mail:
nora_bennamoun@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de
Research Interests
I have a strong interest in understanding wild chimpanzees behavior through direct observation and fieldwork data collection. My PhD research focuses on chimpanzee response to seasonality in regards to their behavioural activity such as ranging patterns, dietary biomechanics and foraging process in two communities: savannah-dwelling chimpanzees at Issa Valley, Tanzania and the forest-dwelling chimpanzees at Djouroutou, Ivory Coast. I aim to assess how environmental conditions may have influenced hominin evolution through the study of our closest living relatives and the relationship between ecological factors and specific behaviors. I believe that the interpretation of how chimpanzees “adapt” themselves in particular environments, linked with the archeological record, can help us to discern the potential conditions in which our fossil ancestors lived.
Main Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Tracy L. Kivell, Dr. Lydia Luncz, Dr. Alexander K. Piel, Dr. Fiona Stewart
Curriculum Vitae
Career & Education
| 2023-Present: | PhD student, Department of Human Origins, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology & Technological Primates Research Group, University of Leipzig, Germany. |
| 2020-2021: | MSc Primate Conservation, Oxford Brookes University, England. Thesis: Covid-19 impact on the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance: challenging times and resilience from its members |
| 2016-2019: | BSc Biology-Biochemistry, Universite Paris-Diderot, France |
Research Experience:
| 2022-2023: | Independent Researcher, Chimpanzees and Baboons study focus at the Great Mahale Ecosystem Research and Conservation (GMERC), Issa Valley, Tanzania. Title: Fires, Foraging, and Foods: How Burned Landscapes Affect Primate Dietary Ecology |
| September 2021 - February 2020: | Remote Data Analysis, Chimpanzee study focus with the Great Mahale Ecosystem Research and Conservation (GMERC). Title: What are the factors predicting social cohesion in a chimpanzee community. |
| February-March 2020: | Volunteer at the Limbe Wildlife Center in Cameroon – Sanctuary for victims of the illegal wildlife trade. |
| August 2018: | Volunteer at the Riverside Rehabilitation Center for Baboons and Vervets in South Africa. |
Languages
- French - Native
- English – Proficient
- Swahili - Intermediate
- German – Elementar
Partners
Greater Mahale Ecosystem Research and Conservation (GMERC)