Angela van Doorn
Ph.D., Dept. of Zoology, University of Cape Town
Angela van Doorn graduated from the University of Washington with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology. While pursuing her degree, she assisted in research at the UW Infant Primate Research Laboratory and volunteered with primates at the Woodland Park Zoo. Upon graduating, Angela went to Tanzania to work as a member of the Animal Behaviour Research Unit team collecting behavioural data on yellow baboons in Mikumi National Park.
After living in Tanzania for over 4 years, Angela moved to Cape Town, South Africa where she completed a Master of Philosophy Degree in Environmental Management from the University of Cape Town in 2002. During her study, she was introduced to the baboons on the Cape Peninsula. Always interested in conservation, she was fascinated by the monitor project and its novel approach to reducing human-primate conflict. Seeing this as a wonderful opportunity to combine her behavioural experience with her newly acquired environmental management background, she enrolled in a Ph.D. program in the Zoology Department at the University of Cape Town.
Angela’s PhD project examined the interface between socioecology and management of chacma baboons in the Cape Peninsula. Along with several invaluable research assistants, she collected data on the Da Gama and Plateau Road troops between 2003 and 2005. Angela completed her thesis and was awarded a PhD from the University of Cape Town in 2009. She is currently teaching courses in biological anthropology, working on publications, and designing another research project that will test specific monitoring techniques.
