Anthropology graduate student Robert Schubert studies primates, but his schooling goes far beyond textbooks. His research has taken him to Asia and Central America, and will soon lead him to Africa.
In January, Schubert will go to Ghana to complete his doctorate dissertation, a long-term field study of primate movement behaviors. He will document how primates develop certain movements, which could help interpret the behaviors of fossil primates.
“He will be the first person to actually carry out this type of study on this particular species,” said Scott McGraw, an associate professor in the Department of Anthropology. “It’s important because we don’t know much about these monkeys and they’re endangered. Hopefully, Rob’s work will have significant scientific, as well as conservation implications.”
Schubert’s trip to Ghana will not be his fist research trip abroad. In 2005, he spent several months in Japan studying primate bones and two wild primate communities.
“I did my first primate field school in 2001 in Nicaragua and worked on a mapping project for an archaeological park in Honduras at the end of high school,” Schubert said.
He began his international travels at the age of 12, and has since traveled to Egypt, Israel, Peru and much of Central America.
One of the biggest challenges of travelling, Schubert said, is being away from friends and family.
“My wife and I don’t yet have children so, when possible, she goes with me,”
Schubert said. “Of course, being away from my siblings and parents can be difficult. It’s a challenge, but I try to get in contact as often as possible.”
Schubert’s wife, Vivian Schubert, accompanied him to Japan and will accompany him during a portion of his trip to Ghana.
“I will definitely go with Rob at the very beginning of the trip to help with initial culture shock,” she said. “The thought of being away from each other for three to four months at a time is really hard.”
Continued education and long-term travel require sacrifice, Schubert said, but his wife said it pays off.
“We’ve put a lot of things on hold so that Rob can get his degree,” she said. “I don’t mind, though, because the potential for future experiences is so great.”
Regardless of the sacrifice his career field requires, Schubert remains drawn to anthropology. His interest in the field began when he was a child and saw dinosaur fossils at a museum, but it was not until he was in college, working at a museum, that he decided to study anthropology.
“I think it was a combination of the exposure to world cultures at work, the contagious excitement about nature from my wife and really inspiring faculty at University of Illinois that influenced my decision to get into anthropology,” Schubert said.
Once his research in Ghana is completed and he receives his doctorate, Schubert is unsure where his career will take him. “I’d like to keep my options open,” he said.
Tatum Shroyer can be reached at [email protected].
