Dr. Brandi Wren is a biological anthropologist and primatologist whose research and teaching interests include primate behavior, ecology, sociality, host-parasite interactions, conservation, and human evolution. She completed her PhD, entitled Behavioral Ecology of Primate-Parasite Interactions, in 2013 under the guidance of Dr. Remis. This research focused on social grooming in wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus aethiops) and its relationship to infection with gastrointestinal parasites. She is currently working with colleagues in South Africa and the U.S. on a study to reduce conflict between farmers and nonhuman primates in South Africa. A major component of this project includes the testing of novel methods to prevent and/or mitigate agricultural crop damage by wildlife, particularly nonhuman primates.
Brandi has taught courses in biological anthropology in the university setting, including Biological Bases of Human Social Behavior and Introduction to Biological Anthropology & Human Evolution. In 2007, as a graduate student, she co-developed and co-taught an international field course, Primates of South Africa. After teaching this course for 6 field seasons, she founded Sepela Field Programs to offer international field courses to students in a variety of disciplines.
Brandi currently serves as Researcher with UNISA’s Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystem Research Unit (ABEERU), Visiting Scholar with Purdue University’s Department of Anthropology, and Program Director & Instructor for Sepela Field Programs. More information on her and her work can be found at www.brandiwren.com and www.sepela.org. You can connect with her on Twitter at @SassAndScience or reach her at brandi@sepela.org.
Dr. Melissa J. Remis 