EDWARD ZAMORA
PhD Student (co-advised with Dr. Eva Wikberg)

RESEARCH: Honest Signaling, Resource Defense, and Offspring Protection: Investigating the Function of Loud Calls in White-thighed Black-and-White Colobus Monkeys (Colobus vellerosus) at Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary, Ghana.​

BIO: I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, co-advised by Dr. Luca Pozzi and Dr. Eva Wikberg. My research focuses on the behavioral ecology and conservation of primates, with particular emphasis on the evolution and function of male signaling behavior. My current work investigates the factors influencing loud call production in white-thighed black-and-white colobus monkeys (Colobus vellerosus) at Boabeng-Fiema Monkey Sanctuary in Ghana. Specifically, I examine whether loud calls function as honest signals of male quality, mechanisms of resource and mate defense, or signals associated with offspring protection. To address these questions, I combine behavioral observations, demographic data, ecological monitoring, and non-invasive genetic and parasitological methods.

I completed my B.A. in Anthropology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where I served as Vice President of the Anthropology Society. Since beginning graduate studies, I have conducted field research in Ghana, presented my work at regional conferences, and developed interests in primate behavior, evolutionary theory, conservation biology, and wildlife research methods. My broader goal is to pursue a career in academia, combining research, teaching, and mentorship to better understand the evolutionary and ecological processes shaping primate behavior and biodiversity. 

INTERESTS: Primate behavioral ecology, animal communication, conservation biology, evolutionary anthropology, behavioral ecology
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