EARG Member Profile

Dr Jo Setchell

Senior Lecturer in the Department of Anthropology

Lecturer in the Health and Human Sciences

Biography

Thanks for visiting my website. I received my PhD in Zoology from the University of Cambridge. Before joining the Anthropology department in 2007 I did post-doctoral research at the Centre for Research in Evolutionary Anthropology at Roehampton University and in the Department of Biological Anthropology at the University of Cambridge.

I take a biological and evolutionary approach to anthropology. My research integrates behaviour, morphology and demographic studies with genetics, endocrinology and semiochemistry to address questions relating to reproductive strategies, life history, sexual selection and signalling in primates. The majority of my work has focused on a semifree-ranging colony of mandrills at the Centre International de Recherches Médicales, Franceville (CIRMF), Gabon. I have also conducted primate fieldwork in Cameroon, Congo and Sabah, Malaysia.

Since joining the Anthropology department I have developed collaborations with environmental anthropologists to address questions concerning human/wildlife interactions and biodiversity conservation. I am also increasingly interested in human-other primate interactions and engagement with primates (ethnoprimatology), including the practice and ethics of primate research.

I began my university teaching career with a temporary lectureship at UCL (Anthropology) before moving to Durham, where I teach biological and evolutionary anthropology at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I obtained my Post-Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in 2008.

Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Primatology

The International Journal of Primatology is a multidisciplinary forum devoted to the dissemination of current research in fundamental primatology. Publishing peer-reviewed, high-quality original articles which feature the primate, the journal gathers laboratory and field studies from such diverse disciplines as anthropology, anatomy, ethology, paleontology, psychology, sociology, and zoology. Articles address various aspects of primate biology and the conservation of primates and their habitats. Articles reporting on endangered or threatened species are highlighted, to further increase sensitivity to the plight of primates. Short articles, reviews of research, and book reviews are also incorporated into the journal. Special issues focusing on particular topics of interest are published from time to time.

Vice-President (Research) of the International Primatological Society

The International Primatological Society was created to encourage all areas of non-human primatological scientific research, to facilitate cooperation among scientists of all nationalities engaged in primate research, and to promote the conservation of all primate species. The Society is organized exclusively for scientific, educational and charitable purposes.

Field & Laboratory Methods in Primatology

Coedited with Debbie Curtis

Bringing together contributions from a range of experts in the field, the second edition of this guide to research on wild primates covers the latest advances in the field, including new information on field experiments and measuring behaviour. It provides essential information and advice on the technical and practical aspects of both field and laboratory methods, covering topics such as ethnoprimatology; remote sensing; GPS and radio-tracking; trapping and handling; dietary ecology; non-invasive genetics and endocrinology. This integrated approach opens up new opportunities to study the behavioural ecology of some of the most endangered primates and to collect information on previously studied populations.

Chapters include methodological techniques; instructions on collecting, processing and preserving samples/data for later analysis; ethical considerations; comparative costs and further reading, making this an invaluable tool for postgraduate students and researchers in primatology, behavioural ecology and zoology.

Post-docs

Dr Esther Clarke: COFUND Junior Research Fellowship "Primate vocalisations as sexual signals". Starting June 2013
Dr Stefano Vaglio: Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships for Career Development "Primate Olfaction". Starting October 2013

Current Research Students

Sian Waters: "Population Status, Ecology and Conservation of Barbary macaques in the Rif Mountains, Morocco". PhD candidate
Kat Shutt: "An interdisciplinary risk assessment of gorilla ecotourism". PhD candidate
Pete Tomlin: "Ontogeny of social behaviour in chacma baboons". PhD candidate
Miles Woodruff: "Reintroduction of Mandrillus sphinx in the Republic of Congo". PhD candidate

Past Research Students

Emilie Fairet: "Human-wildlife conflict and its implications for the management of protected areas: A case study in Loango National Park, Gabon". PhD passed December 2012 - congratulations Emilie!
Ben Coleman: Predator-prey interactions and vigilance landscapes in samango monkeys in South Africa". PhD passed April 2013 - congratulations Ben!
Caroline Howlett: "The 2D:4D ratio & social behaviour in female chacma baboons". MSc by Research passed May 2013 - congratulations Caroline!

Information for Prospective Students

I'm happy to supervise MSc, Masters by Research and PhD students in primatology, including:

primate socioecology
primate conservation
human-wildlife interactions
sexual selection (mate choice, intrasexual competition, sexual conflict)
reproductive and life history strategies
communication and signalling
behavioural endocrinology

Please contact me for further information. I don't usually have projects available "off-the-shelf", but I'm very happy to work with candidates with whom I share research interests to develop a project.

You can also find information about the MSc in Evolutionary Anthropology here: http://www.dur.ac.uk/anthropology/postgraduate/taught/msc_evol/

information about post-graduate funding here: http://www.dur.ac.uk/anthropology/postgraduate/pg_funding/

and information about fees and living costs here: http://www.dur.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/fees/

Current collaborations

Centre Internationale de Recherches Médicales, Franceville, Gabon (long-term, interdisciplinary studies of semi-free-ranging mandrills)
Dr Leslie A Knapp, Biological Anthropology, University of Cambridge (MHC genetics of semi-free-ranging mandrills)
Dr Robin Bernstein, George Washington University, USA (the endocrinology of primate growth and development)
Dr. Stefano Vaglio, University of Florence, Italy (chemical communication in primates)
Dr Elena Cunningham, NYU College of Dentistry (darting primates)
Dr Wendy Dirks, Newcastle Dental School (stress, life history and primate teeth)

Research Groups

Research Interests

Growth and ontogeny
Interactions between hormones, immunity and reproduction
Reproductive strategies
Secondary sexual traits and signalling in males and females
Socioendocrinology
Primate behavioural ecology
Sexual selection
Life history strategies and phenotypic plasticity
Ethnoprimatology

Selected Publications

Journal papers: academic

Setchell, Joanna M, Abbott, Kristin M, Gonzalez, Jean-Paul & Knapp, Leslie A (2013). Testing for post-copulatory selection for major histocompatability complex genotype in a semi-free-ranging primate population. American Journal of Primatology in press.
Shutt, Kathryn, Setchell, Joanna M & Heistermann, M (2012). Non-invasive monitoring of physiological stress in the Western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla): validation of a fecal glucocorticoid assay and methods for practical application in the field. General and Comparative Endocrinology 179(2): 167.
Setchell, JM, Kendal, JR & Tyniec, P (2011). Do non-human primates synchronise their menstrual cycles? A test in mandrills. Psychoneuroendocrinology 36(1): 51-59.
Setchell, JM, Vaglio, S, Abbott, KM, Moggi-Cecchi, J, Boscaro, F, Pieraccini, G & Knapp, LA (2011). Odour signals major histocompatibility complex genotype in an Old World monkey. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 278(1703): 274-280.
Setchell, JM, Vaglio, S, Moggi-Cecchi, J, Boscaro, F, Calamai, L & Knapp, LA (2010). Chemical composition of scent-gland secretions in an Old World monkey (Mandrillus sphinx): influence of sex, male status, and individual identity. Chemical Senses 35(3): 205-220.
Setchell, JM, Charpentier, MJE, Abbott, KM, Wickings, EJ & Knapp, LA (2010). Opposites attract: MHC-associated mate choice in a polygynous primate. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 23(1): 136-148.
Setchell, JM, Smith, TE, Wickings, EJ & Knapp, LA (2010). Stress, social behaviour, and secondary sexual traits in a male primate. Hormones and Behavior 58(5): 720-728.
Setchell, JM & Huchard, E (2010). The hidden benefits of sex: Evidence for MHC-associated mate choice in primate societies. BioEssays 32(11): 940-948.
Setchell JM, Charpentier M, Abbott KA, Wickings EJ & Knapp LA (2009). Is brightest best? Testing the Hamilton-Zuk hypothesis in mandrills. International Journal of Primatology 30(6): 825-844.
Leigh, SR, Setchell, JM, Charpentier, M, Knapp, LA & Wickings, EJ (2008). Canine tooth size and fitness in male mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). Journal of Human Evolution 55(1): 75-85.
Setchell, JM, Smith, TE, Wickings, EJ & Knapp, LA (2008). Social correlates of testosterone and ornamentation in male mandrills. Hormones and Behavior 54(3): 365-372.
Setchell, JM, Charpentier, M, Bedjabaga, I-B, Reed, P, Wickings, EJ & Knapp, LA (2006). Secondary sexual characters and female quality in primates. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 61(2): 305-315.
Setchell, JM, Wickings, EJ & Knapp, LA (2006). Signal content of red facial coloration in female mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 273(1599): 2395 - 2400.

Show all publications

Media Contacts

Available for media contact about:

Evolution: primate behaviour
People: Evolution and Biology: animal behaviour
Evolution: sexual selection