Clara Mariencheck is a member of the Primate Genomics Lab. Her research interests include primate genetics, immunogenetics, and sociality. Her dissertation research examines potential genetic proximate mechanisms of increased female immunocompetence compared to males, or the ‘immunity gap,’ by characterizing variation at X-specific genes in chimpanzees and examining the functional evolution of X-specific genes across primates.

2023 Best Student Poster Presentation, American Association of Anthropological Genetics at the American Association of Biological Anthropology 2023 Meeting

2022 NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

2021 American Society of Primatologists General Small Grant, “Characterizing genetic sexual dimorphism in X chromosome genes involved in disease susceptibility and immune response in chimpanzees”

2021 International Primatological Society Special SARS-CoV-2 Grant, “Characterizing COVID-19 genetic risk factors in non-human primates: ACE2 variation in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus)”

2021 Lewis N. Cotlow Award, The George Washington University, “Characterizing genetic sexual dimorphism in X chromosome genes involved in disease susceptibility and immune response in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus)”

2020 Excellence in Research Award, Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis

2019 Summer Undergraduate Research Award, Washington University in St. Louis, “Comparison of Patr-B and Patr-DRB genetic composition between the Pan troglodytes troglodytes and Pan troglodytes ellioti chimpanzee subspecies”

2017-2020 Research Assistant: Washington University in St. Louis, Primate Genetics and Molecular Ecology Laboratory