James Stranks

Main Research Interests 

Evolution of Social Relationships

Primate Behaviour

Behavioural Genetics

Primate Physiology

 

 Academic Career 

 October 2018 – Present. PhD student. Behavioural Ecology, University of Göttingen.

  • Ph.D. program Behaviour and Cognition (BeCog)
  • DFG Research Training Group (RTG 2070) on Understanding Social Relationships

March – September. 2018. Primate Field Research Assistant, Lilongwe Wildlife Trust, Malawi

  • Lead the Samango Monkey Research Project, collecting data in multiple study sites. 

January – April 2017. Volunteer, Carnivore Research Malawi, Malawi

  • Collected data on carnivores, primarily the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta

2014 – 2015. MRes in Biodiversity, Evolution & Conservation, University College London

  • Project 1: Examining correlates of vulnerability to climate change in the world’s mammals.
  • Project 2:  The roles of the environment, host and ranavirus on the microbiome of the amphibian skin. 

 2010 – 2014.  BSc (Hons) Zoology with Industrial Experience, University of Manchester

  • Project 1: The effect of personality on the welfare of Hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas)
  • Project 2: Investigating the repeatability of jumping mechanics in the Californian quail (Callipepla californica)

 

Publications

  •  Trede F*, Kil N*, Stranks J*, Connell A, Fischer J, Ostner J, Schülke O, Zinner D & Roos C (2021) A refined panel of 42 microsatellite loci to universally genotype catarrhine primates. Ecology and Evolution 11, 498-505 *joint first authorship


Conference Contributions

  • Stranks, J (2019) Ontogenetic changes in social relationship patterns and social buffering of the stress response in juvenile male Assamese macaques. 16th Conference of the Gesellschaft für Primatologie (GfP), Göttingen (Poster)
  • Stranks, J (2019) Physiological correlates of dynamics in affiliation, dominance rank and group membership in dispersing male Assamese macaques at Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary. 40th Thai Wildlife Symposium, Bangkok (Poster)