I am currently completing my doctoral degree in biological anthropology at New York University, part of the New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP).


Research Focus

Primate Innate Immune Defense and Adaptation to Viral Infection
It is well recognized that adaptive responses to environmental pressures can influence a primate’s genome, morphology or even behavior. Pathogens, specifically viruses, have been part of the primate environment for millions of years and variation observed in primate susceptibility to viral infection and disease suggests that the genomes of some primates are better adapted to co-exist with certain viruses. In order to understand these adaptations, my dissertation research explores the evolutionary history of a selection of genes (including TLR7, MyD88, and RIG-I) involved in the immune system across a wide cross-section of primates.

Primate Molecular Systematics
I have been involved in a number of research projects using mitochondrial sequence to examine the molecular phylogeny of the living primates. My M.A. thesis research used whole mitochondrial genome sequence of eight colobines (or leaf –eating monkeys) to infer the evolutionary relationships among the genera of the subfamily Colobinae. My results support a monophyletic clade of odd-nosed colobines consisting of Nasalis, Pygathrix, and Rhinopithecus. These data have been published in Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution (see publications below).


Recent Publications

Sterner KN, RL Raaum, Y-P Zhang, C-B Stewart, TR Disotell. 2006. Mitochondrial
data support an odd-nosed colobine clade. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 40(1): 1-7.

Raaum RL, KN Sterner, CM Noviello, C-B Stewart, TR Disotell. 2005. Catarrhine primate divergence dates estimated from complete mitochondrial genomes: concordance with fossil and nuclear DNA evidence. Journal of Human Evolution. 48(3): 237-57.

Wildman DE, TJ Bergman, A al-Aghbari, KN Sterner, TK Newman, JE Phillips-Conroy, CJ Jolly, TR Disotell. 2004. Mitochondrial evidence for the origin of hamadryas baboons. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 32(1): 287-96.

Telfer PT, S Souquiere, SL Clifford, KA Abernethy, MW Bruford, TR Disotell, KN Sterner, P Roques, PA Marx, EJ Wickings. 2003. Phylogenetic divergence in mandrills. Molecular Ecology. 12(7): 2019-24.