Alicia M. Rich, Assistant Professor , Biology & Earth Science

Alicia Rich

Email
rich2@otterbein.edu

Alicia Rich is a molecular primatologist and one of the core faculty in the Zoo and Conservation Science Program. She teaches the Introductory Biology Sequence, Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education, Zoo Management and Conservation Engagement, Animal Reproduction, and Conservation Biology. Rich directs the lab for Primates in Anthropogenic Landscapes (PAL). Her lab members analyze genetic samples collected from captive and wild primates all over the world. In addition to her lab on campus, Rich leads research in Itwara Forest Reserve in Uganda. She and her team at Itwara focus on a variety of wild primates and other mammals, including chimpanzees, pottos, and African golden cats. Dr. Rich also monitors wildlife at Itwara using motion-activated cameras, which give her students year-round, remote eyes in an African forest. In addition to Uganda, she has also studied wild primates in Costa Rica, Kenya, and South Africa, and she has an ongoing collaboration in Vietnam/Thailand. Dr. Rich started her career in wildlife biology by working at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, where she held positions in the departments of Education, Mammals, and Research. She also held an appointment in 2019 as a Visiting Researcher at South Africa’s National Zoo in Pretoria.

Visit Alicia M. Rich Personal website >

Education

  • Ph.D., Biological Anthropology, Indiana University, 2018
  • M.A., Biological Anthropology, Indiana University, 2014
  • B.A., Biology and Anthropology, REC Honors College, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 2009

    • Research, Creative, & Professional Work

  • Primate Conservation
  • Reproductive Development 
  • One Health
  • Landscape Genetics
  • Genomic Endocrinology
  • Remote Sensing

    • Publications

  • Schmitt CA*, Rich AM*, Parke SR, Blaszcyk MB, Cramer JD, Lorenz J, Freimer JP, Turner TR. (Submitted). Anthropogenic Food Enhancement Alters the Timing of Maturational Landmarks Among Wild Savanna Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus). *co-first authors   
  • Rich AM, Wasserman MD, Hunt KD, Kaestle FA. (2020). Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) Population Spans Multiple Protected Areas in Uganda. Folia Primatologica. doi: 10.1159/000508073
  • Rich AM, Poindexter SA, Lai A, Steiniche TB, Mutegeki R, Wasserman MD. (2020) A Camera Trap Survey in a Protected Forest with Potential for Landscape Connectivity across Western Uganda. African Journal of Ecology. doi:10.1111/aje.12722
  • Rich AM, Wasserman MD, Deimel C, Breeden SK, Kaestle, FA, Hunt KD. (2018) Is Genetic Drift to Blame for Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome in Semliki Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii)? Journal of Medical Primatology. 45(7):257-269.
  • Rich, AM. (2018). Population Genetics of Eastern Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) Living in Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve, Uganda (Doctoral Dissertation). Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.