Netzin G. Steklis holds a double B.A. in Anthropology and Biology from the University of Chicago and an M.A. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University. Netzin joined forces with the McClelland Institute to further the research of the “Fathers, Parenting, and Families” Initiative.
Netzin’s research experience includes field study of howler monkey calls in Costa Rica, the behavioral ecology of wild chimpanzees in eastern Zaire, and research at the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda on the social organization of mountain gorillas, including studies on vocal communication, demography, and life history. She is currently interested in the comparative study of cognition, personality and life history, the study of primate social systems and families, the biopsychology of human-animal interactions, and conservation and environmental education.
For more than 15 years, Netzin has served as the Director of Scientific Information Resources and Affiliate Scientist with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, a non-profit organization dedicated to gorilla research and conservation in Africa. She often collaborates with her husband, H. Dieter Steklis, on research projects concerning mountain gorilla personality, behavior, biology and conservation. Their work has been featured in national and international magazines, radio programs, and numerous television broadcasts (including National Geographic).