Département d'anthropologie
Département de sciences biologiques
Our lab studies the adaptive evolution of primates and their commensal microbes. We are molecular anthropologists who specialize in genomics, metagenomics, and proteomics.We work in the field, in the lab, and on the computer cluster, collaborating with biologists and anthropologists across the world.
Research
Primate conservation and landscape genomics
A complex interaction of environmental and anthropogenic effects influences levels of genomic diversity in primate populations. We study how the modification of primate habitat caused by shifting climates, deforestation, and human population expansion affects gene flow, genetic diversity, speciation, and extinction.We work with a wide range of primate species, including capuchin monkeys, gibbons, lemurs, and galagos with field projects in Costa Rica and China.We also develop new approaches to molecular ecology, including fecalFACS cell sorting and scat detection dogs.Orkin et al. (2025) Ecological and anthropogenic effects on the genomic diversity of lemurs in Madagascar. Nature Ecology & EvolutionOrkin et al. (2025) Landscape and conservation genetics of western black crested gibbons (Nomascus concolor) in China. American Journal of PrimatologyOrkin et al. (2016) Cost-effective scat-detection dogs: unleashing a powerful new tool for international mammalian conservation biology. Scientific Reports
Primate adaptation to changing and hostile environments
Capuchin monkeys living in the dry forest of Santa Rosa, Costa Rica must survive extreme droughts and food scarcity in a highly seasonal ecosystem. How have they adapted to do this?We use comparative genomics to examine how genes affecting metabolism and kidney function allow for local adaptation to these environmental challenges.Long-term study of the capuchin gut microbiome gives us a window into how commensal microbes facilitate seasonal adaptation to fluctuating food and water resources.Orkin et al. (2021) The genomics of ecological flexibility, large brains, and long lives in capuchin monkeys revealed with fecalFACS. PNASOrkin et al. (2019) Seasonality of the gut microbiota of free-ranging white-faced capuchins in a tropical dry forest. The ISME JournalOrkin, Webb, & Melin (2019) Small to modest impact of social group on the gut microbiome of wild Costa Rican capuchins in a seasonal forest. American Journal of Primatology
Anthropology of heritage preserved foods
Preserving seasonally abundant foods has facilitated the expansion and growth of human populations throughout our history. Salt and smoke alter the selective environment of microbes during wild fermentation, modifying the taste and texture of foods in culturally meaningful ways.Through multiomic anthropology, we study how heritage preservation practices bring about culturally preferred foods like pickles and smoked salmon.Flachs and Orkin (2019) On pickles: biological and sociocultural links between fermented foods and the human gut microbiome. Journal of Ethnobiology and EthnomedicineFlachs and Orkin (2019) Fermentation and the Ethnobiology of Microbial Entanglement. Ethnobiology Letters.
Lab Members
Joseph Orkin
Professeur adjoint (Assistant Professor)Département d'anthropologie
Département de sciences biologiques
Université de Montréal[email protected]
Ricardo Fong Zazueta
PhD StudentDépartement de sciences biologiques
Université de Montréal
Pinkerton
Gibbon scat detection professional
Extremely good boy(Emeritus)
Join the lab
We are always interested in new students and postdocs to join the lab in Montréal. Successful applicants will likely have experience in computational biology, molecular primatology, and/or evolutionary biology and an application that is competitive for external funding.If you would like to join our group, please fill out our LAB INTEREST FORMProspective lab members are encouraged to prepare applications for funding. Please take a look at some of these Canadian and international funding opportunities, which might be appropriate.MA
NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships – Master's program
FRQNT Master’s Research ScholarshipPhD
NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships – Doctoral program
FRQNT Doctoral Training ScholarshipPostdoc
Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship
NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship
SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship
NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB)
FRQNT Merit Scholarship for Foreign Students
FRQNT B3X Postdoctoral Training Program
FRQSC B3Z Postdoctoral Training Program
FRQ Science in Exile
UdeM Bourses de recherche postdoctorale Place aux Premiers Peuples de l’UdeM
Public Media
© 2024 by Joseph Orkin
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