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Hanging Out with Lemurs

Anne Yoder studies the Madagascan animals and leads Duke Lemur Center

Anne Yoder, director at the Duke Lemur Center, poses with a ring-tailed lemur. She said she loves lemurs not because they're cute, but for their evolutionary diversity. Photo courtesy of Anne Yoder.
Anne Yoder, director at the Duke Lemur Center, poses with a ring-tailed lemur. She said she loves lemurs not because they're cute, but for their evolutionary diversity. Photo courtesy of Anne Yoder.
Interviewed by Bryan Roth

Name: Anne YoderPosition: Professor of biology and director of the Duke Lemur CenterYears at Duke: 9

What I do at Duke: I direct the Duke Lemur Center, which is a complicated job. I keep an eye on what’s going on with the people who work there, the animals that live there and our programs, which focus on education and outreach, conservation in Madagascar, and all sorts of research. I also run a lab where I mentor postdocs, graduate students and undergraduates and teach freshmen seminars.

If I had $5 million, I would: Use some of it to pay off my mortgages and certainly contribute a big chunk to the Lemur Center and spend the rest of it to fund my research in Madagascar, which includes training Malagasy students and colleagues.

My first ever job: I was a gift wrapper at a little specialty shop in Alexandria, Virginia when I was 16. I don’t even remember how I got the job. I think a friend of my parents owned the shop. I’m an awesome gift wrapper – everyone still wants me to wrap their presents.

My dream job: I’d love to be a singer or a painter because I love the arts and I have zero talent at it, sadly. If I were a singer, I’d perform the blues. It’s soulful and tells stories and can make you feel happy and sad at the same time.

If someone wanted to start a conversation with me they should ask me about: My son, Dylan. He’s 14, and he’s very funny, smart and a very good person. He runs cross country at school, and he loves it. He also plays guitar and is talented at math and is very easy going. He’s just a great kid.

The best advice I ever received: When I was studying for my prelims as a graduate student here at Duke, I was stressed out about the oral exam. A senior grad student had already gone through it said to me, ‘Anne, if someone asks you a question and you don’t know the answer, just say ‘I don’t know.’ They have no choice but to move on.’ It’s a life lesson because if you start talking about things you don’t understand as if you understand them, you’ll find yourself in trouble very quickly.

What I love about Duke: It’s in North Carolina, which is home to me. Duke Forest is a glorious part of Duke and so special, and it’s extraordinary we have people who value the Lemur Center, too.

Something most people don’t know about me: I took a lot of ballet and modern dance when I was younger. I started at 6 and did it all the way through graduate school. I stopped because I got too busy. I love the arts and dance is this wonderful combination of music, emotion, expression and physicality.

An interesting/memorable day at Duke for me: When I was an undergrad at UNC I came to Duke on a field trip to the Lemur Center and was blown away by the evolutionary diversity. That’s what got me going about lemurs in the first place. It’s not about being cute - they’re fascinating as a natural evolutionary experiment.