Jessica Rothman

Jessica Rothman is a professor in the Department of Anthropology at Hunter College, whose main areas of interest include nutritional ecology, and wildlife conservation. She serves as Director of the Human Biology Program and is a core member of the New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology.

Dr. Rothman leads the Wildlife Nutritional Ecology lab at Hunter College, where she examines the ways monkeys and apes meet their nutritional needs when faced with social and ecological constraints in the wild. She also has field research sites in two national parks in Uganda, where she serves as an Honorary Wildlife Officer with the Uganda Wildlife Authority—the government agency that manages wildlife in Uganda. Dr. Rothman is also an Honorary Lecturer at Makerere University in Uganda.

Dr. Rothman leads an active research group of post-docs, PhD students, Masters students and undergraduates. She serves on the supervisory committees of graduate students around the globe. She has more than 100 publications in journals such as Biology Letters, American Journal of Primatology, Behavioral Ecology and The Journal of Animal Ecology. Dr. Rothman earned her BS, MS and PhD in Animal Nutrition from Cornell University and obtained a postdoc in Biology and Anthropology from McGill University.

Please visit Jessica Rothman’s website for more information.

• McGill University (PostDoc)
• Cornell University (PhD)
• Cornell University (MS)
• Cornell University (BS)

• Raboin D, Baden AL and JM Rothman (2021) Maternal feeding benefits of allomaternal care in black-and-white colobus (Colobus guereza). American Journal of Primatology, 83:e23327.
• Lindshield S, Rothman JM, Ortmann S and J Pruetz (2021) Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) access a nutritionally balanced, high energy, and abundant food, baobab (Adansonia digitata) fruit, with extractive foraging and reingestion. American Journal of Primatology, 83:e23307.
• Gessa SJ and JM Rothman (2021) The importance of message framing for rule adherence in wildlife tourism. Conservation Science and Practice, 3:e515.
• Uwimbabazi M, Raubenheimer D, Tweheyo M, Basuta GI, Conklin-Brittain NL, Wrangham RW and JM Rothman (2021) Nutritional geometry of female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). American Journal of Primatology, e23269
• Stead SM, Badescu I, Raboin DL, Sicotte P, Rothman JM, Baden AL and JA Teichroeb (2021) High levels of infant handling by adult males in Rwenzori Angolan colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii) compared to two closely related species, C. guereza and C. vellerosi. Primates, 62:637-646.
• Pontzer H, Brown MH, Wood BM, Raichlen DA, Mabulla AZP, Harris J, Dunsworth H, Hare B, Walker K, Luke A, Dugas L, Schoeller D, Plange-Rhule J, Bovet P, Forrester TE, Emery Thompson M, Shumaker RW, Rothman JM, Vogel E, Sulistyo F, Alavi S, Reuter D, Urlacher SS, and SR Ross (2021) “Evolution of water conservation in humans.“ Current Biology, in press.
• Takahashi M, Rothman JM, Raubenheimer D, and M Cords (2021) “Daily protein prioritization and long-term nutrient balancing in a dietary generalist, the blue monkey.” Behavioral Ecology, in press.
• Evans K, Foley WJ, Chapman CA and JM Rothman (2021) “Deconstructing protein in the diets and abundance of folivorous colobines.” International Journal of Primatology, in press.
• Hou R, Chapman CA, Rothman JM, Guo S, Zhang H, Huang K, Li B, and D Raubenheimer (2021) “The geometry of resource constraint: an empirical study.” Journal of Animal Ecology, in press.
• Amusa C, Baranga D, Rothman JM, Odongo S, Matovu H and P Ssebugere (2021) “Pesticide residues in soils and plants consumed by endangered mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda.” Science of the Total Environment, in press.
• Glasser DB, Goldberg TL, Guma N, Balyesiima G, Agaba H, Gessa SJ and JM Rothman (2021) “Opportunities for respiratory disease transmission from people to chimpanzees at an East African tourism site.” American Journal of Primatology, in press.
• Wang S., Steiniche T., Rothman JM, Wrangham R., Chapman C., Mutegeki R, Quiros R., Wasserman MD and M Venier (2020) “Feces are effective biological samples for measuring pesticides and flame retardants in primates.” Environmental Science and Technology, in press.
• Rothman JM, DePasquale A, Evans K and DL Raboin (2020) Colobine nutritional ecology. In: “The colobines: Natural history, behaviour and ecological diversity.” Edited by: Matsuda I., Teichroeb J, Greuter C. Cambridge University Press, in press.
• Lynch EC, Johnson CA, Lynch RF, Rothman JM, DiFiore A, and RA Palombit (2020) “Mothers and fathers improve immature baboon foraging success: a preliminary study.” Behaviour, in press.
• Venable EM, Machanda Z, Hagberg L, Lucore J, Otali E, Rothman JM, Uwimbabazi M, and R Wrangham. (2020) “Wood and meat as complementary sources of sodium for Kanyawara chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).” American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 172:41-47.
• Friant SR, Akonjom WA, Obaji AA, Ifebueme NM, Okoi OM, Ogar DA, Alawa CB, Goldberg TL, Jacka JK, and JM Rothman (2020) “Eating bushmeat improves food security in a biodiversity and infectious disease “hotspot”.” Ecohealth, 1-14.

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