Research focus

The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in digestion, immune function, and overall health of its host, and it is highly sensitive to environmental changes. In human-modified landscapes such as plantations, shifts in diet, stress levels, and exposure to chemical pollutants can significantly alter microbial communities in wildlife. I’m interested in understanding these changes, as its essential for assessing the long-term health and adaptability of species living in disturbed habitats.

My PhD project aims to assess potential correlations between the gut microbiome and the overall health of the endangered southern pig-tailed macaque (Macaca nemestrina), which forages in the forest–oil palm matrix in Malaysia. These primates are frequently observed leaving their natural forest habitat to forage in adjacent oil palm plantations, where they add oil palm fruits, rats, and other plantation-derived food items to their diet. In doing so, they likely ingest residues of chemical pesticides, which are used to manage plantation undergrowth, rats, and insects, through their food and water intake. The objectives of my study are to investigate the influence of diet and pesticide exposure on the gut microbiome of macaques and to relate these findings to health markers such as endoparasitic loads, cortisol levels, and long-term observational data on body condition and fitness. This research will provide valuable insights into how conventional agricultural practices, particularly pesticide use, affect the health and long-term fitness of mammals that rely on plantations for foraging. By contributing evidence-based data to sustainability discussions on agricultural management, my project aims to support the development of applied conservation strategies for threatened wildlife.

The work will be in close collaboration with Dr. Nadine Ruppert and Dr. Norsyahida Arifin at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang, Peninsular Malaysia, as well as Dr. Priscillia Miard at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo Malaysia.

Short CV

Since 02/2025
PhD student
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), University of Leipzig (UL) and the Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA), Leipzig, Germany
Dissertation title: “Impact of oil palm plantation use on the gut microbiome of Malaysian macaques”

10/2018 – 12/2021
MSc evolutionary Anthropology
Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz, Germany
Thesis title: „The use of olfaction in Barbary macaques “

04/2014 – 07/2018
BSc Biology
Johannes Gutenberg University (JGU) Mainz, Germany
Thesis title: “Immune response of Dysdercus Fasciatus after infection with Leptomonas pyrrhocoris”

Publications

Simon, M., Widdig, A., & Weiß, B. M. (2024). Sniffing behavior of semi free-ranging Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus). American journal of primatology, 86(5), e23611. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23611

Funding & Awards

Since 02/2025: iDiv Flexpool Fund
3-year PhD funding from iDiv

2024: Christian-Vogel-Fund for field research
by Gesellschaft für Primatologie

01/2023 – 01/2024:  Pre-Doc Award University Leipzig
Member of the Behavioral Ecology Research group under Prof. Anja Widdig as a Pre-Doc Awardee (UL) in tandem with Dr. Marlen Kücklich