Leonie Gussone
PhD candidate University of Minnesota
About me
I am a PhD candidate in the Anthropology program at the University of Minnesota and a member of Dr. Michelle Brown's Lab.
My research focuses on movement ecology, feeding competition, and energetics in primates, with a particular interest in how environmental change and human activities shape animal behavior. Broadly, I study how primates navigate dynamic landscapes and what their movement patterns reveal about ecological constraints, competition, and energetic condition.
For my dissertation, I investigate how environmental variability and anthropogenic pressures influence the movement patterns, feeding competition, and energetics of wild primates. My work integrates field-based behavioral observations with spatial statistics (using R and GIS) and hormone analyses to link movement decisions to internal energetic condition.
Beyond research, I am passionate about science communication and outreach and enjoy collaborating across disciplines. I am always excited to connect with researchers, students, and conservationists interested in movement ecology, conservation, and primate behavioral ecology.
