Cheryl Knott

Biological anthropologist Cheryl Knott wonders if the orangutans she studies deep in Borneo's rain forest are destined to vanish from the wild forever. With more than 80 percent of their habitat lost and illegal logging expanding at an ever increasing pace, preservation efforts have become as important as research.

Dr. Cheryl Knotts research is focused on orangutan behavior and biology, both as a way to further our understanding of endangered great apes and as a model for looking at human evolutionary history. Dr. Knott earned her undergraduate degree in anthropology from the University of California, Davis, and a PhD in anthropology from Harvard University, where she also served as an associate professor.

Today Knott's research not only furthers our understanding of these endangered great apes, one of humankind's closest living relatives, but provides clues to our own evolutionary history. At her Gunung Palung Orangutan Project, research station in Indonesia, Dr. Knott has focused on the reproductive physiology of male and female orangutans, and has elucidated the influence of food availability on their sensitive reproductive system. She is also actively involved with trying to protect this endangered species and its rain forest habitat through varied conservation activities, including education, public awareness, population and habitat census, and active interactions with Indonesian government organizations to fight illegal logging activities.