Susan C. Alberts, Robert F. Durden Distinguished Professor of Biology

Research in the Alberts Lab investigates the evolution of social behavior, particularly in mammals, with a specific focus on the social behavior, demography, life history, and behavioral endocrinology of wild primates. Our main study system is the baboon population in Amboseli, Kenya, one of the longest-running studies of wild primates in the world, ongoing since 1971.

Please note: Susan has left the "Evolutionary Anthropology" group at Duke University; some info here might not be up to date.

Contact Info:

Office Location:	130 Science Drive, Rm 137, Duke Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708
Office Phone:	+1 919 884 8714
Email Address:
Web Pages:	http://www.biology.duke.edu/albertslab http://sites.duke.edu/albertslab/

Education:

Ph.D.	The University of Chicago	1992
M.A.	University of California, Los Angeles	1987
B.A.	Reed College	1983

Specialties:

Organismal Biology and Behavior
Evolution
Ecology and Population Biology

Research Interests: Behavorial ecology and ecological genetics of large mammals

Keywords:

Aggression • Aging • Allelic Imbalance • Analysis of Variance • Animals • Animals, Wild • Anthropology, Physical • Behavior, Animal • Biological Evolution • Biology • Consensus Sequence • Databases, Factual • Demography • DNA, Mitochondrial • Duffy Blood-Group System • Ecosystem • Elephants • Environment • Evolution, Molecular • Feeding Behavior • Fertility • Gene Expression • Gene Expression Regulation • Gene-Environment Interaction • Genetic Fitness • Genetic Variation • Genetics, Population • Growth • Hybridization, Genetic • Inbreeding • Kenya • Longevity • Longitudinal Studies • Molar • Multivariate Analysis • Object Attachment • Pair Bond • Papio • Papio anubis • Papio cynocephalus • Papio hamadryas • Paternal Behavior • Pedigree • Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A • Phenotype • Phylogeny • Plasmodium vivax • Polymerase Chain Reaction • Polymorphism, Genetic • Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide • Population Dynamics • Pregnancy • Primates • Promoter Regions, Genetic • Protein Binding • Qualitative Research • Rain • Receptors, Cell Surface • Regulatory Sequences, Nucleic Acid • Reproduction • Research Design • Sequence Analysis, DNA • Sequence Homology • Sex Factors • Sexual Behavior, Animal • Sexual Maturation • Smell • Social Behavior • Social Dominance • Social Environment • Social Support • Species Specificity • Stochastic Processes • Testis • Testosterone • Theropithecus • Tooth Wear • Transcription Factors • Transcription, Genetic

Current Ph.D. Students   (Former Students)

• Carmen K. Cromer  
• Maria Creighton  
• Clara Howell  

Postdocs Mentored

• Beniamino Tuliozi (January, 2023 - present)  
• Elizabeth Lange Greinert (January, 2020 - December, 2022)  
• Mathias Franz (2012 - 2015)  
• Patrick Onyango (2011 - 2013)  
• Jacob Moorad (2010 - 2013)  
• Jordi Galbany (2007 - 2010)  
• Anthony Nsubuga (2005 - 2005)  
• Russell Van Horn (2005 - 2007)  
• Anja Widdig (2005 - 2007)  
• Anja Widdig (2005 - 2006)  
• Marie Charpentier (2005 - 2008)  
• Russell C. Van Horn (2004/11-2006/07)  
• R. Scott Davidson (2004 - 2007)  
• Jason Buchan (2002 - 2004)  
• Jason Buchan (October 2002 - March 2004)  
• Jay Storz (2001 - 2002)  
• Jay Storz (2001 - 2002)  
• Jay Storz (July 2001 - June 2002)  
• Jay Storz (2001 - 2002)  

Representative Publications   (More Publications)   (search)

1. Charpentier, MJE; Van Horn, RC; Altmann, J; Alberts, SC, Paternal effects on offspring fitness in a multimale primate society., Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 105 no. 6 (February, 2008), pp. 1988-1992 [18250308], [doi]  [abs]
2. Tung, J; Charpentier, MJE; Garfield, DA; Altmann, J; Alberts, SC, Genetic evidence reveals temporal change in hybridization patterns in a wild baboon population., Molecular ecology, vol. 17 no. 8 (April, 2008), pp. 1998-2011 [18363664], [doi]  [abs]
3. Charpentier, MJE; Tung, J; Altmann, J; Alberts, SC, Age at maturity in wild baboons: genetic, environmental and demographic influences., Molecular ecology, vol. 17 no. 8 (April, 2008), pp. 2026-2040 [18346122], [doi]  [abs]
4. Silk, JB; Alberts, SC; Altmann, J, Social bonds of female baboons enhance infant survival., Science (New York, N.Y.), vol. 302 no. 5648 (November, 2003), pp. 1231-1234 [doi]  [abs]
5. Archie, EA; Hollister-Smith, JA; Poole, JH; Lee, PC; Moss, CJ; Maldonado, JE; Fleischer, RC; Alberts, SC, Behavioural inbreeding avoidance in wild African elephants., Molecular ecology, vol. 16 no. 19 (October, 2007), pp. 4138-4148, ISSN 0962-1083 [doi]  [abs]
6. Alberts, SC; Watts, HE; Altmann, J, Queuing and queue jumping: long term patterns of reproductive skew among male savannah baboons, Animal Behaviour, vol. 65 no. 4 (2003), pp. 821-840 [doi]  [abs]
7. Van Horn, RC; Buchan, JC; Altmann, J; Alberts, SC, Divided destinies: Group choice by female savannah baboons during social group fission, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, vol. 61 no. 12 (October, 2007), pp. 1823-1837, Springer Nature, ISSN 0340-5443 [doi]  [abs]
8. Smith, K; Alberts, SC; Altmann, J, Wild female baboons bias their social behaviour towards paternal half-sisters., Proceedings. Biological sciences, vol. 270 no. 1514 (March, 2003), pp. 503-510, ISSN 0962-8452 [doi]  [abs]
9. Hollister Smith, JA; Poole, JH; Archie, EA; Vance, EA; Georgiadis, NJ; Moss, CJ; Alberts, SC, Paternity success in wild African elephants, Animal Behaviour, vol. 74 no. 2 (2007), pp. 287-296, ISSN 0003-3472 [doi]  [abs]
10. Buchan, JC; Alberts, SC; Silk, JB; Altmann, J, True paternal care in a multi-male primate society., Nature, vol. 425 no. 6954 (September, 2003), pp. 179-181 [12968180], [doi]  [abs]