Dr. Nalina Aiempichitkijkarn, California State University, Long Beach, United States
Dr. Nalina Aiempichitkijkarn is a postdoctoral scholar at California State University, Long Beach, specializing in primate behavior and ecological research. She earned her Ph.D. in Animal Behavior from the University of California, Davis, focusing on social connectedness and disease transmission in long-tailed macaques. With extensive fieldwork experience across Thailand, India, Indonesia, and Brazil, she has conducted pioneering studies on human-wildlife interactions and animal cognition. Her interdisciplinary research combines social network analysis and photogrammetry, contributing to wildlife conservation and zoonotic disease management. 🌿🐒
Publication Profile
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🎓 Education
Dr. Nalina Aiempichitkijkarn holds a Ph.D. in Animal Behavior from the University of California, Davis, where she investigated tuberculosis transmission in macaques under the mentorship of Brenda McCowan. She earned an M.Sc. in Psychology from the University of Georgia, specializing in behavioral and brain sciences. Her B.Sc. in Biology, awarded with First Class Honors and a Gold Medal from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, focused on primate behavior. Her academic journey reflects a dedication to understanding the complexities of animal behavior through interdisciplinary approaches. 📚🧠
💼 Experience
Dr. Aiempichitkijkarn’s extensive research experience includes postdoctoral work at California State University, Long Beach, exploring evolutionary demography in rhesus macaques. She has led projects on tuberculosis infection among macaques in Thailand, studied human-monkey conflicts in India, and investigated robbing behaviors in macaques in Indonesia. Additionally, she has conducted fieldwork on tool use in capuchin monkeys in Brazil. Her expertise in social network analysis, field data collection, and ecological studies highlights her contributions to primatology and conservation science. 🌿🐵
🏆 Awards and Honors
Dr. Aiempichitkijkarn has received numerous awards, including the McEwan Career Development Fellowship and the prestigious DPST Scholarship. Her research excellence earned her 1st place Oral Presentation at the International Primatological Society, the Ruppenthal Student Travel Award, and the UC Davis Grad Slam 2nd place. She also secured the Leakey Foundation Research Grant and the American Society of Primatologists Research Grant. Her dedication to advancing primatology and behavioral research has been consistently recognized. 🥇🎖️
🔎 Research Focus
Dr. Aiempichitkijkarn’s research explores primate social behavior, zoonotic disease transmission, and human-wildlife interactions. Her studies on tuberculosis in long-tailed macaques use social network analysis to understand disease spread. She has investigated behavioral ecology, including tool use in capuchins and bartering behavior in macaques. Additionally, her work on evolutionary demography and noninvasive photogrammetry offers valuable insights into primate health and conservation. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges behavioral science, ecology, and epidemiology. 🐒🧬🌿
Publication Top Notes
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2023: “Non-invasive specimen collections for Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection in free-ranging long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis)”
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2023: “The development of expertise at cracking palm nuts by wild bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus)” ScienceDirect
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2022: “Impact of joint interactions with humans and social interactions with conspecifics on the risk of zooanthroponotic outbreaks among wildlife populations” Nature
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2017: “What challenges wild bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) in learning to crack nuts?”