Meet The Team

I am a researcher at the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) and a 2020 National Geographic Explorer. You can learn more about me on my profile here and his National Geographic Explorer page here.

I hold an MSc in Life Sciences with a focus on Biodiversity and Ecosystems Management, and a BSc in Wildlife Science and Conservation. With over ten years of experience in wildlife research and conservation in Tanzania, I have conducted studies on the impact of human disturbances on chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) habitat use in the Masito-Ugalla ecosystem. I have also participated in various chimpanzee surveys across Tanzania to estimate populations and evaluate threats to the species survival. As part of my PhD at Issa Valley, I am studying chimpanzee behavioural responses to human-induced disturbances and assess cultural variability across chimpanzee populations in Tanzania.

My name is Benjamin Daymo and I recently graduated from ASU with bachelor degrees in Anthropology and History. I spent two years doing work for the palaeoecology lab at ASU, in the later year managing a team of students coding camera traps set up here at Issa Valley! I'm interested in human uniqueness and the conditions which brought us to where we are. While at Issa I'm taking on a hybrid research coordinator position where I'll pursue a project exploring primate responses to fire with the hopes of better understanding how enviornemets like Issa played a role in our evolution as a species.