Stony Brook University PhD Student Florence Aghomo Honored by the Explorers Club as a Top 50 Star

STONY BROOK, NY-March 17, 2026-Stony Brook University PhD student and primatologist Florence Aghomo has been named a 2026 Explorers Club 50 star for her work as the coordinator of the Red Colobus Conservation Network project under the Primates Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN/SSC/PSG), Re:wild and the African Primatological Society (APS).

Aghomo is also a doctoral student in the Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences (IDPAS) and a member of the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments (ICTE) under the supervision of renowned SUNY and Stony Brook University Distinguished Service Professor and founder and director of Centre ValBio Research Station, Madagascar, Patricia C. Wright,

The Explorers Club is a multidisciplinary society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation. Each year the Explorers Club recognizes 50 extraordinary individuals looking to do remarkable work to promote science and exploration.

As a student at Stony Brook University, Aghomo uses landscape genetics to study how landscape features affect lemur movement and gene flow. She has conducted field-based wildlife assessments. Driven by her passion for wildlife conservation, she founded an Environmental and Language Center in Ranomafana, Madagascar, through the Flor Foundation to promote education. She also organizes Youth Wildlife Workshops in Cameroon to spark curiosity and inspire young people to explore and learn about nature.

"Florence is a science scholar and a real world conservation hero. It is a privilege to be her mentor," said Professor Wright.

"Through my work, I search for, document and study primate diversity, behavior, and threats and I assess their vulnerability and contribute to the development of conservation strategies," said Aghomo.

Each year the Explorers Club recognizes 50 extraordinary people who they determine are doing remarkable work to promote science and exploration. These 50 individuals are exploring, inspiring and creating the future: the future of the planet, life upon it and the boundless possibilities exist.

Photo credit: John Griffin/Stony Brook University

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The State University of New York at Stony Brook is New York's flagship university and No. 1 public university. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. With more than 27,000 students, more than 3,000 faculty members, more than 225,000 alumni, a premier academic healthcare system and 18 NCAA Division I athletic programs, Stony Brook is a research-intensive distinguished center of innovation dedicated to addressing the world's biggest challenges. The university embraces its mission to provide comprehensive undergraduate, graduate and professional education of the highest quality, and is ranked as the #59 overall university and #26 among public universities in the nation by U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges listing. Fostering a commitment to academic research and intellectual endeavors, Stony Brook's membership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) places it among the top 71 research institutions in North America. The university's distinguished faculty have earned esteemed awards such as the Nobel Prize, Pulitzer Prize, Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation, Abel Prize, Fields Medal, Breakthrough prizes in mathematics and physics, and MacArthur Fellows Genius Grants. Stony Brook has the responsibility of co-managing Brookhaven National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy - one of only eight universities with a role in running a national laboratory. In 2023, Stony Brook was named the anchor institution for The New York Climate Exchange on Governors Island in New York City. Providing economic growth for neighboring communities and the wider geographic region, the university totals an impressive $8.93 billion in increased economic output on Long Island. Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stonybrooku/ and X@stonybrooku.