Patricia C. Wright
Distinguished Service Professor
Herrnstein Professor of Conservation Biology
Founder and Director of Centre ValBio Research Station, Madagascar
Founder and Director of Institute of Conservation of Tropical Environments
Ph.D., City University of New York, 1985
Phone: +1-631-632-7425
Email: patricia.wright@stonybrook.edu
Teaching
Courses taught at Stony Brook include ANP360: Primate Conservation and ANP630: Topics in Tropical Conservation.
Research Interests
Patricia C. Wright's research in tropical ecology, primatology, and conservation biology includes a long term study (1986 - present) of the behavioral ecology of Propithecus edwardsi, the Milne Edward's sifaka, in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. Wright, her students and post docs investigate the demography, feeding behavior, parasite loads, infant development, genetics, tooth wear, reproductive behavior, predation pressure, and aging in this wild community of four adjacent rain forest sifaka groups. Current research includes investigating the growth, tooth eruption patterns, and ontogeny of various lemur species, the nutritional composition of lemur foods, the relationship between lemur foods and medicinal plants, the role of parasites on populations, and the effect of habitat disturbance on lemur populations. Wright′s long term database on individual lemurs, weather patterns, and plant phenology is maintained at SUNY Stony Brook. Wright also conducts biodiversity surveys in tropical forests of Madagascar to address conservation problems. In addition, Wright is spearheading construction of dormitories and computer facilities at the international research station (Centre ValBio) adjacent to Ranomafana National Park. Wright′s recent NSF grant addresses senescence in wild lemurs, particularly mouse lemurs and sifakas.
Selected awards
Indianapolis Prize Winner, Indianapolis Zoological Society (2014)
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival (2014)
Commandeur National Medal of Honor of Madagascar (2012)
Lab page
Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments (Centre ValBio)