
Will Aguado is a doctoral candidate in anthropology at Rutgers University who studies the ecology of Bornean orangutans.
As a Fulbright US Student Researcher, Will and his collaborators at Universitas Nasional in Jakarta are examining how wild orangutans maintain their nutritionally balanced diets while simultaneously overcoming the natural toxins found in the plants they eat.
At the research site of Tuanan, located within the Mawas Conservation Area in Central Kalimantan, he is using a mix of behavioral observation, nutritional/bioactivity assays of orangutan plant foods, and analysis of urinary biomarkers of nutritional stress. He hopes his research can increase our understanding of primate ecology and physiology while producing useful knowledge for conservation agencies, such as the Bornean Orangutan Survival Foundation, which manages the Mawas Conservation Area.
Will received his bachelor’s degree in anthropology at the University of California Santa Cruz, and his master’s in anthropology at Iowa State University.
*William Aguado is a Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Fulbright Student Research grantee. Due to the global pandemic, his grant was deferred to FY 2022.