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Laura Haynes, a doctoral student in the Department of Anthropology in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, has been selected as a 2026-27 Fulbright-National Geographic grantee, earning an opportunity to conduct dissertation research on primate microbiomes in Uganda.

Haynes is one of five recipients of the award, a collaboration between the Fulbright Program and the National Geographic Society. Over six months at Lake Nabugabo in Uganda, she will study the gut microbiomes of Rwenzori Angolan colobus monkeys, examining how primate social behavior and human impacts on the environment influence microbial diversity.

Her research focuses on the “social microbiome,” exploring how social relationships and networks influence the transmission of beneficial microbes. Rwenzori Angolan colobus monkeys are particularly suited to this research because they live in complex social groups and share characteristics with humans, including multilevel social networks and shared infant care.

Haynes will conduct her fieldwork with the Fish and Monkey Project. In addition to collecting data for her dissertation, she plans to engage local communities through art and environmental education.

“I want to bring an arts angle to this work because not a lot of people have an opportunity to pursue art in that community, and I think this would have a great impact on environmental education,” Haynes says.
 

She plans to work with community members to create educational coloring books featuring local wildlife. The project builds on her experience combining art, science and conservation. As an undergraduate at the University of Florida, she co-led an initiative that partnered with artists in Madagascar to create a wildlife coloring book for primary school students. She has continued collaborating with artists in Rwanda and Uganda during graduate school.

The award also will provide expanded opportunities for Haynes to communicate her research and field experiences through National Geographic storytelling resources.

Haynes says the Fulbright award has been a goal since she began her graduate program in 2022. Preparation included a grant-writing course and participation as a Three Minute Thesis finalist, experiences that helped her sharpen her ability to communicate her research.