Sarie Van Belle, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Department of Anthropology
University of Texas at Austin
Welcome!

I am a biologist who studies primate behavioral ecology. My research mainly focuses on understanding the biological processes that shape social systems of non-human primates. I am particularly interested in understanding the selective advantage of group living and the interplay between intragroup cooperation and intergroup competition.
To this end, I examine demographic, ecological, endocrine, and genetic factors mediating male and female social and reproductive strategies, individual strategies in cooperative group defense, intragroup coordination and decision making, and intergroup dynamics. I also investigate the function of long-distance calls and how these influence group movement decisions and intergroup interactions.
I have established a long-term behavioral and ecological field research study on black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) in Palenque National Park in southern Mexico.
I completed my M.Sc. and Ph.D. in the Department of Zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (2003-2009). I was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (2010-2011) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (2012-2014). I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Texas in Austin.
Contact: sarievanbelle@gmail.com
