Linda Vigilant
Group Leader
Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
phone: +49 (0) 341 3550 222
e-mail:
vigilant@[>>> Please remove the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de
Background and interests
I use genetic analyses to address questions on the evolution of humans and other primates, particularly the great apes. I began my career working on the evolution of mitochondrial DNA in human populations. At the MPI-EVA, I have had the opportunity to work collaboratively with field researchers studying primate social behavior.
Recently I have become interested in using large-scale sequencing approaches for understanding the long-term histories of primate populations and seeing the effects of high variance in male reproductive success on patterns of genomic variation.
Curriculum Vitae
Education
University of California, Berkeley, California
Genetics, 1986-1990, PhD
Chemical Biology, 1982-1986, B.S. with High Honors
Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey
Professional Positions
January 1999 to present | Research Scientist, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Dept of Primatology. Research area: Genetic analysis of wild primate populations. |
September 1992 to May 1994 and September 1997 to December 1998 | Research Associate, Penn State University, Dept. of Anthropology. Research area: Molecular evolution of human populations. |
September 1990 to August 1992 | Postdoctoral fellow, Penn State University, Dept. of Anthropology. Research area: Molecular evolution of human populations in Africa. |
September 1986 to August 1990 | Graduate student in Genetics Department, Division of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of California, Berkeley. Research area: human mitochondrial DNA variation and evolution in Africa. |
Scholastic Service
American Journal of Primatology: Review Editor, 2014- present.
International Journal of Primatology: Editorial board, 2003-2015.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology: Associate Editor, 2006-2010.
Primates: Associate Editor, 2007-2017.
Primate Biology: Topical Editor, 2014- present