Carleigh Stein is a PhD student in the Department of Anthropology, focused on Biological Anthropology. She obtained a BS in Biology from Texas State University in 2019 followed by a MS in Biology in 2022 at the University of North Texas, focused on population genetics and speciation. She then worked on disease ecology studies as a field/lab technician and lab manager in Chile, Hawai’i, and Maine. Via her training and work on these projects, she gained foundational knowledge about population genetics and genetic responses to environmental changes. These experiences fueled her passion for investigating species’ responses to both naturally occurring and introduced diseases to better support the health of wildlife. In her current research, she aims to understand the health, fitness, and genomic impacts that natural malaria infection has on wild chimpanzee and gorilla populations and how their behavioral, ecological, and physiological differences influence patterns of infection. Given that infectious disease is a significant source of mortality for wildlife, the results of this study will help us better protect these endangered species.
