Jessica Rothman

Jessica Rothman is a Distinguished Professor at CUNY–Hunter College, where she specializes in primate ecology, nutritional ecology, and biological anthropology. Her research integrates animal nutrition, evolutionary biology, and conservation science, focusing on the feeding behavior and dietary strategies of folivorous primates and lemurs. Recent work examines mineral acquisition in natural habitats, sodium constraints on African megaherbivore communities, and the multidimensional nutritional niche as a tool for conservation practice. She has also investigated behavioral flexibility in dietary specialists and the impacts of pesticide use and climate-driven pest pressure on smallholder agriculture in equatorial Africa. Her interdisciplinary collaborations span Africa, Cambodia, and Europe, addressing food insecurity, wildlife conservation, and human-environment interactions.