Dr. Erin Ehmke is a behavioral ecologist, with an early focus on female social bonds and stress in wild capuchin monkeys. After graduate school, she focused on teaching at the college-level. While she enjoyed teaching, she missed working with animals and the excitement of asking scientific questions and collecting data to answer them. In 2011, it all came together when she was hired as the DLC’s Research Manager to facilitate research and mentor Field Research Interns. Now the Director of Research, Erin's vision is to expand the DLC's research programs in both Durham and Madagascar, serving as a model institution that prioritizes animal welfare, high-impact research, and access to opportunities for all students and scientists around the world.
Kay has been involved in the animal field since 2007, with the DLC since 2012, and a member of the Research team since 2014. In her new role as Research Manager she is most excited about building a stellar research team, and improving DLC resources for researchers. She loves puzzling out research projects (or any puzzle), and hates the weather.
Kay is mom to just one grumpy cat (Felix) but is hoping to add more fluffy nuggets in the future to really ruin his senior years. The fastest way to Kay’s heart is through food – particularly baked goods or tiramisu. Kay is team cheiro and team variegata but her all-time favorite lemurs were Teres and Merlin.
Chris has worked at the Duke Lemur Center for almost two years. Before that, she was a Research Professor in Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke and participated in many research studies at the DLC. Currently, her work includes collaborating with other staff members to identify funding opportunities, develop proposals for research, education, and outreach, and implement STEM education programs. Her favorite thing about her job is the people she works with.
Dr. Marina Blanco is an anthropologist turned lemur ecologist who studies metabolic strategies, particularly hibernation, in mouse and dwarf lemurs. She is also interested in the biogeography of nocturnal lemurs, i.e., who lives where and how they got there. Her methods include trying to find lemurs at night in Madagascar and, whenever possible, tracking them using telemetry. Marina enjoys the solitude of working in Malagasy forests and in the hibernacula at the DLC. She also appreciates participating in team-based and inclusive science. Marina earned her PhD in 2010 from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Dr. Lydia Greene is a wildlife ecologist who studies mechanisms of adaptation in diverse lemurs, with a predominant focus on the Coquerel’s sifaka. Her research program integrates observational and experimental approaches applied to wild and captive populations to better understand response to ongoing habitat change. Lydia most enjoys collaborative brainstorming, field work in Madagascar, statistical analysis, and mentoring students. Lydia earned her Ph.D. in 2019 from Duke University’s Program in Ecology.
Amanda joined the Lemur Center in 2019, after leaving her 15-year career in public health. As the DLC Data Manager, she works with various departments and has developed several in-house lemur specific databases. Amanda’s data management role also extends to the Duke Lemur Center Museum of Natural History, working on linking their osteology collection with the lemur’s life history. As the Registrar, she is responsible maintaining animal records, permits and transfers.
Julie has been part of the DLC family for 16 years, 15 of those years she was a Lead Technician in the husbandry department. In January 2022, she was excited to move to the research department as a research technician full-time. This change in her career has given her so many opportunities to grow and she is excited to continue learning the research side of the DLC. Julie is a mother of 3 and is now attending school intending to complete her bachelor’s degree. Julie will always favor aye-ayes and red ruff lemurs.
Gabbi is the newest addition to the Duke Lemur Center Research family! Having worked at the DLC for a little under a year now, Gabbi is excitedly learning more and more about the expansive world of lemur research. Before she was a staff member, Gabbi was a student researcher at the DLC studying lemur feeding behavior. Her favorite thing about her job is getting to see her favorite people and lemurs every day, especially Ferdinand the Coquerel’s sifaka (pictured above)! Gabbi is mom to a very sassy pittie-mix named Lucie and enjoys drinking too much coffee, buying too many houseplants, and telling her coworkers too many "dad jokes".
