About Me
About Me
I am an Assistant Professor at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. I am trained as an anthropologist/primatologist. My research explores themes such as behavior, health, evolution, cognition, neurobiology, and epigenetics in nonhuman primates.
EDUCATION & TRAINING
2022-2025
Postdoctoral Fellowship
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center - Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research
PI: William D. Hopkins, PhD
2016-2022
Doctoral Degree
Texas A&M University
Dissertation title: Examining the Function of Meat Sharing in Savanna-Dwelling Chimpanzees at Fongoli, Sénégal
2016-2018
Texas A&M University
Master's Degree
(en route to PhD)
2012-2016
Bachelor's Degree
Rhode Island College (Honors Program)
B.A. in Anthropology, Minor in Environmental Studies
Honors thesis title: Pet Primates in the United States: A Call for Federal Regulation
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Article: The Effects of Early Life Rearing Experiences and Age on Sociality in Captive Olive Baboons (Papio anubis)
Achorn, A.M., Mulholland, M.M., Sherwood, C.C., Yi, S.V., Hopkins, W.D. (2025). The Effects of Early Life Rearing Experiences and Age on Sociality in Captive Olive Baboons (Papio anubis). Primates, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10329-025-01206-3
Article: Planum Temporale Asymmetries in Primates: A Comparative Study in Great Apes and Monkeys
Achorn, A.M., Mulholland, M.M., Cox, C.M., Phillips, K.A., Bennett, A.J., Pierre, P.J., Sherwood, C.C., Schapiro, S.J., Hopkins, W.D. (2025). Planum Temporale Asymmetries in Primates: A Comparative Study in Great Apes and Monkeys. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 186: e25060. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.25060
Article: Age-Associated Alterations in Immune and Inflammatory Responses in Captive Olive Baboons (Papio anubis)
Mulholland, M., Nehete, B., DeLise, A., Achorn, A., Pytka, L., Nehete, P. (2025). Age-Associated Alterations in Immune and Inflammatory Responses in Captive Olive Baboons (Papio anubis). Frontiers in Aging.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fragi.2024.1511370
Article: Brain-Type Natriuretic Peptide is a Biomarker of Cardiovascular Disease
and Predictor of Cardiac-Related Mortality in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
Achorn, A.M., Hodo, C.L., Hensel, M.E., Magden, E.R., Buchl, S.J., Jones, C.L., Piatt, E.A., Hopkins, W.D. (2024). Brain-Type Natriuretic Peptide is a Biomarker of Cardiovascular Disease and Predictor of Cardiac-Related Mortality in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). American Journal of Veterinary Research.
https://doi.org/10.2460/ajvr.24.09.0287
Article: Neutrophil to Lymphocyte ratio in Captive Olive Baboons (Papio anubis): The Effects of Age, Sex, Rearing, Stress, and Pregnancy
Neal, S.J., Achorn A.M., Schapiro, S.J., Hopkins, W.D., Simmons, J.H. (2024). Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in captive olive baboons (Papio anubis): The effects of age, sex, rearing, stress, and pregnancy. American Journal of Primatology, 86(6): e23619. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23619
Article: The Effects of Early Rearing Experiences on Mutual Eye Gaze Among Captive Olive Baboons (Papio anubis)
Achorn, A. M., Mulholland, M. M., & Hopkins, W. D. (2023). The effects of early rearing experiences on mutual eye gaze among captive olive baboons (Papio anubis). Developmental Psychobiology, 65, e22420. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.22420
Article: Reciprocity and Beyond: Explaining Meat Transfers in Savanna‐Dwelling Chimpanzees at Fongoli, Senegal
Achorn, A., Lindshield, S., Ndiaye, P. I., Winking, J., & Pruetz, J. D. (2023). Reciprocity and beyond: Explaining meat transfers in savanna-dwelling chimpanzees at Fongoli, Senegal. American Journal of Biological Anthropology, 182(2), 224–236. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajpa.24815.
Book Chapter: Tourism and Indonesia’s Primates: An Introduction
Achorn, A., Gursky, S.L., & Supriatna, J. (2022). Tourism and Indonesia’s Primates: An Introduction. In: Gursky, S.L., Supriatna, J., Achorn, A. (eds). Ecotourism and Indonesia's Primates. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14919-1_1.
Book: Tourism and Indonesia’s Primates: An Introduction
Gursky, S.L., Supriatna, J., & Achorn, A. (2022). Ecotourism and Indonesia's Primates. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-14919-1. ISBN: 978-3-031-14918-4.
Book Chapter: Chapter 4: Tarsiers
Shekelle, M., Gursky, S.L., Achorn, A., & Colquhoun, I.C. (2022).
In: Sussman R. W. Hart D. & Colquhoun I. C. (eds). The Natural History of Primates: A Systematic Survey of Ecology and Behavior. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN: 9781442248991.
Article: A Comparison of Intestinal Parasite Infections and Activity Budgets in Three Free‐Ranging vs. Enclosure‐Housed Lemur Species
(Lemur catta, Varecia rubra, and Eulemur mongoz)
Achorn, A. & Winking, J. (2021), A comparison of intestinal parasite infections and activity budgets in three free-ranging vs. enclosure-housed lemur species (Lemur catta, Varecia rubra, and Eulemur mongoz). Journal of Medical Primatology, 50: 189-192.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jmp.12523.
Article: It’s Not about Him: Mismeasuring ‘Good Genes’ in Sexual Selection
Achorn, A., & Rosenthal, G.G. (2019). It's not about him: Mismeasuring 'good genes' in sexual selection. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 35(3): 206-219.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2019.11.007.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2025-Present
Assistant Professor
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY
Department of Anthropology
Courses Taught:
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ANTH 1324: Human Evolution
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Fall 2025
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2018-2022
Graduate Instructor of Record
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Department of Anthropology
Courses Taught:
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Introduction to Biological Anthropology (lecture and lab)
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Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2021, Spring 2022
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Introduction to Social & Cultural Anthropology
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Fall 2020, Spring 2021
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2016-2017
Graduate Teaching Assistant
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Department of Anthropology
Courses:
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Peoples & Cultures of the World
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Fall 2016
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Introduction to Biological Anthropology
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Spring 2017, Fall 2017
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