PhD Student, Biological Anthropology
Samantha Vee is a Ph.D. student in biological anthropology. She is broadly interested in the evolution of great ape life histories. More specifically, she hopes to use noninvasive methods to quantify immune function in wild Bornean orangutans, with the goal of investigating sources of variation in immune function and understanding how energetics mediates the immune response and trades off with other energetically expensive activities like growth and reproduction. Prior to joining Boston University, Samantha received her BS in Cell and Molecular Biology from CUNY Macaulay Honors College at John Jay College in 2020. She also received her MA in Ecology and Evolution from Stony Brook University in 2021, where she investigated the costs and benefits of infant care in Phayre’s leaf monkeys. To learn more about Vee’s research and publications, visit her wepage.
In Spring 2025, Sam received a CISS Summer mini-grant to travel to her field site at Gunung Palung National Park in Indonesia to assess the feasibility of conducting in-field assays for hormones and other urinary biomarkers. Success in this pilot project will significantly advance her dissertation progress and contribute to local capacity-building efforts. Learn more in our featured article.