Charles L Nunn, Gosnell Family Professor in Global Health and Research Professor of Global Health

My research addresses a range of questions in primate evolutionary ecology, with major research areas involving infectious disease, primate behavior, the evolution of sleep, and cultural trait dynamics. These research foci are rooted in a comparative perspective that examines variation across species on an evolutionary tree. I am especially passionate about my research on infectious disease; this area plays center stage in my research and teaching, and in my expanding field research. In addition to addressing questions of basic science, I apply ecological and evolutionary perspectives to address practical questions in the conservation of biodiversity and human health.

Contact Info:

Office Location:	106 Biological Sciences Building
Office Phone:	(919) 660-7281
Email Address:
Web Pages:	http://people.nunn-lab.org/charlie/ https://sites.duke.edu/thenunnlab/

Teaching (Fall 2021):

• EVANTH 590S.01, SP TOPICS Synopsis

  Bio Sci 041, W 12:00 PM-02:30 PM

• EVANTH 285.01, HUMAN HEALTH EVOL PERSPECTIVE Synopsis

  French Sci 4233, WF 01:45 PM-03:00 PM

Education:

Ph.D.	Duke University	1999
Post-Baccalaureate	University of Washington	1992
A.B.	Dartmouth College	1991

Specialties:

Behavioral Ecology and Physiology
Primate Ecology
Primate Biology

Keywords:

Allometry • Amygdala • Analysis of Variance • Animals • Artifacts • Behavioral Research • Biological Evolution • Biometry • Body Constitution • Brain • Brain Mapping • Classification • Cognition • Communication • Comparative Study • Computer Simulation • Cooperation • Data Collection • Diet • Energy Metabolism • Female • Food Chain • Hippocampus • Homing Behavior • Hominidae • Host-Parasite Interactions • Lemur • Male • Mammals • Maternal Age • Maternal Behavior • Memory • Models, Biological • Neocortex • Organ Size • Parasitism • Phylogeny • Predatory Behavior • Primates • Psychology, Comparative • Regression Analysis • Reproducibility of Results • Sexual selection • Sleep • Sleep, REM • Social Behavior • Software • Space Perception • Species Specificity • Statistics as Topic • Territoriality • Time Perception • Vocalization, Animal

Curriculum Vitae  Bio

Current Ph.D. Students   (Former Students)

• Chase Nunez  
• Caroline Rusk Amoro  
• Randi Griffin  
• India A Schneider-Crease  
• Collin McCabe  

Postdocs Mentored

• Debapriyo Chakraborty (October 15, 2015 - present)  
• David Samson (July, 2014 - present)  

Recent Publications   (More Publications)   (search)

1. Herrera, JP; Moody, J; Nunn, CL, Predictions of primate-parasite coextinction., Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, vol. 376 no. 1837 (November, 2021), pp. 20200355 [doi]  [abs]
2. Reyes, KR; Patel, UA; Nunn, CL; Samson, DR, Gibbon sleep quantified: the influence of lunar phase and meteorological variables on activity in Hylobates moloch and Hylobates pileatus., Primates; Journal of Primatology, vol. 62 no. 5 (September, 2021), pp. 749-759 [doi]  [abs]
3. Herrera, JP; Rabezara, JY; Ravelomanantsoa, NAF; Metz, M; France, C; Owens, A; Pender, M; Nunn, CL; Kramer, RA, Food insecurity related to agricultural practices and household characteristics in rural communities of northeast Madagascar., Food Security (June, 2021), pp. 1-13 [doi]  [abs]
4. Gray, GC; Robie, ER; Studstill, CJ; Nunn, CL, Mitigating Future Respiratory Virus Pandemics: New Threats and Approaches to Consider., Viruses, vol. 13 no. 4 (April, 2021) [doi]  [abs]
5. Mckinnon, L; Samson, DR; Nunn, CL; Rowlands, A; Salvante, KG; Nepomnaschy, PA, Is Sleep Disturbance in Menopause Explained by Evolutionary Mismatch? Evidence from Three Cohorts of Guatemalan Maya, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, vol. 174 (March, 2021), pp. 69-69