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/

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. Werner, CS; Nunn, CL, Effect of urban habitat use on parasitism in mammals: a meta-analysis., Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 287 no. 1927 (May, 2020), pp. 20200397 [doi]  [abs]
2. Amoroso, CR; Kappeler, PM; Fichtel, C; Nunn, CL, Water Availability Impacts Habitat Use by Red-Fronted Lemurs (Eulemur rufifrons): An Experimental and Observational Study, International Journal of Primatology, vol. 41 no. 1 (February, 2020), pp. 61-80 [doi]  [abs]
3. Gogarten, JF; Calvignac-Spencer, S; Nunn, CL; Ulrich, M; Saiepour, N; Nielsen, HV; Deschner, T; Fichtel, C; Kappeler, PM; Knauf, S; Müller-Klein, N; Ostner, J; Robbins, MM; Sangmaneedet, S; Schülke, O; Surbeck, M; Wittig, RM; Sliwa, A; Strube, C; Leendertz, FH; Roos, C; Noll, A, Metabarcoding of eukaryotic parasite communities describes diverse parasite assemblages spanning the primate phylogeny., Molecular Ecology Resources, vol. 20 no. 1 (January, 2020), pp. 204-215 [doi]  [abs]
4. Samson, DR; Louden, LA; Gerstner, K; Wylie, S; Lake, B; White, BJ; Nunn, CL; Hunt, KD, Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) Group Sleep and Pathogen-Vector Avoidance: Experimental Support for the Encounter-Dilution Effect, International Journal of Primatology, vol. 40 no. 6 (December, 2019), pp. 647-659 [doi]  [abs]
5. Samson, DR; Louden, LA; Gerstner, K; Wylie, S; Lake, B; White, BJ; Nunn, CL; Hunt, KD, Correction to: Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) Group Sleep and Pathogen-Vector Avoidance: Experimental Support for the Encounter-Dilution Effect (International Journal of Primatology, (2019), 40, 6, (647-659), 10.1007/s10764-019-00111-z), International Journal of Primatology, vol. 40 no. 6 (December, 2019), pp. 660 [doi]  [abs]