PhD Student, Biological Anthropology
he/him/his
Soumalya Ghorui (he/him) is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in the Biological Anthropology department working in the Sensory Morphology and Anthropological Genomics Lab (SMAGL) under Dr. Christopher Schmitt. His research examines how Himalayan Langurs (Semnopithecus schistaceus) respond to seasonal thermal stress across elevational gradient in the Uttarakhand Himalayas, India, integrating behavioral ecology, spatial analysis, and primate genomics. He also serves as a Research Associate with the Himalayan Langur Project, contributing to long-term ecological and behavioral monitoring of langur populations in Mandal Valley. To learn more about Soumalya’s research and publications, visit his webpage.
In Spring 2026, Soumalya was awarded a summer mini-grant which will support his investigation of how seasonal variation in thermal stress shapes the thermoregulatory behavior, microhabitat use, and ranging ecology of Himalayan Langurs across three study sites spanning 1400-2800 masl in Uttarakhand, India. Combining systematic behavioral observations with GIS-based thermal niche modeling, the study aims to identify the ecological and energetic mechanisms underlying primate adaptation in high altitude montane environments.