Dr. Dennis O'Rourke
Principal Investigator
Chair, Department of Anthropology
Foundation Distinguished Professor
He/him/his
My research focuses on the use of molecular genetic methods to address long-standing questions in prehistory. My students and collaborators have conducted fieldwork and research projects in Mexico, the Caribbean, the US Southwest and California, and the North American arctic. Most recently, my group has focused attention on ancient DNA methods to investigate the colonization and dispersal of the North American arctic, and how this informs us about the earlier initial colonization of the Western Hemisphere. Utilizing genomic analyses of both human and archaeofaunal and archaeobotanical materials, my research interests and efforts increasingly are at the intersection of anthropological genetics, bioarchaeology, and paleoecology.
Dr. Jennifer Raff
Principal Investigator
Associate Professor, Anthropology
Director of Graduate Studies
Indigenous Studies Program Affiliate Faculty
She/her/hers
My research examines the histories of human populations in North America using genomes from both contemporary and ancestral populations. I investigate the initial peopling of the Americas, the peopling of the North American Arctic, regional population histories and mortuary practices of the Eastern Woodlands and the Great Plains, and the impact of European colonization. I’m also involved in projects related to ethics in genetics research with Indigenous peoples, genomics capacity building among Indigenous communities, and public scientific literacy. My students and I take an engaged, collaborative approach to research with tribes. We believe that genetics is a useful tool that can complement Indigenous knowledge in obtaining a better understanding of the past and the lives of ancestors.
Dr. Lauren Norman
Assistant Teaching Professor
She/her/hers
My research examines the resilience of small-scale societies during periods of environmental and social change. I employ molecular methods to supplement traditional studies of faunal material in investigating the relationship between people and their environment. I am especially interested in community-based research in the north and with multi-vocal interpretations of the past.
Dr. Justin Tackney
Associate Researcher
He/him/his
My research focuses on population and evolutionary genetics, specifically as it relates to the initial peopling of the Americas and to the subsequent human migrations across the North American and Siberian Arctic during the Holocene. My work would not be possible without support from, and collaboration with, the local communities of Indigenous peoples who are interested and invested in genetic research.
Dr. Kristine G. Beaty
Laboratory Coordinator
She/her/hers
My research examines human migration and population history using molecular data from contemporary and ancestral communities, particularly throughout the Americas.
Christopher Barrett
Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology
Adviser: Dr. O’Rourke
Originally from the Pacific Northwest, I joined the Ancient DNA and Anthropological Genetics research facilities at the University of Kansas in August 2016. Broadly, my research focuses on how genomic and epigenomic data from ancient DNA (aDNA) can be applied toward biological and anthropological questions. My dissertation uses ancient genomic and geochemical techniques to reconstruct genetic, demographic, and environmental histories in the western Aleutian Islands of Alaska.
Kevin Chovanec
Ph.D. Candidate, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Adviser: Dr. Richard Glor
Shawna Fitzwater
Ph.D. Student, Anthropology
Adviser: Dr. O’Rourke
My research examines ancient DNA (aDNA) through the use of molecular genetic methods to address pre-history human migratory patterns across the North American arctic. My prior research focused on zoonotic diseases, specifically host-pathogen interaction, as well as vaccine research and development.
Savannah (Vanna) Hay
Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology
Adviser: Dr. Raff
She/her/hers
I specialize in the ancient DNA and dental anthropology of prehistoric North Americans. I focus on what these avenues of research can teach us about, and changes in health and diet through time and space. I am also interested the epigenetic factors behind these changes in health, diet, and at times, morphology. Lastly, I am committed to public-outreach, repatriation, and creating ethical relationships between scientists and Indigenous groups in the Americas.
Caroline Kisielinski
Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology
Adviser: Dr. O’Rourke
I am an anthropological geneticist that focuses on paleoenvironmental reconstruction from sedimentary and environmental DNA. I use environmental DNA from archaeological sites to address questions pertaining to human origins in the Americas as well as human subsistence strategies.
Bethany Potter
Ph.D. Student, Anthropology
Adviser: Dr. Frederic Sellet
She/her/hers
I am an archaeologist currently working on optimizing a protocol for extracting DNA from lithic artifacts. My dissertation research is focused on Western Clovis mobility, integrating data from aDNA from stone tools and debris.
Lydia Sykora
Ph.D. Student, Anthropology
Adviser: Dr. Raff
She/her/hers
I am specializing in ancient DNA and the interpretations of human migration patterns. I’m broadly interested in the peopling of the Americas, but specifically filling in gaps of the genetic prehistory of ancient peoples on the Plains.
Sarah Unkel
Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology
Adviser: Dr. O’Rourke
She/her/hers
My research utilizes ancient DNA to answer questions regarding the peopling of the Americas with a focus on the Western North American Arctic. I am currently working on a collaborative project with the Indigenous community of Utqiaġvik, Alaska and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History to evaluate genetic population history and ancestral relations among the contemporary Inuit of the Alaskan North Slope and the ancient Birnirk Inuit tradition. This research was supported by the NSF Polar Program grant #1523160, Collaborative Research: People, Landscape, and Narratives in Time-Birnirk and the Emergence of Inupiaq Culture in Northwestern Alaska, as well as the University of Kansas Ancient DNA Research Facility.
Brystol Bates
Biology and Anthropology
Sarah Alden
Ph.D. Candidate, Anthropology
Adviser: Dr. Raff
Brittany Bingham
Masters, 2022, Anthropology
Adviser: Dr. Raff
McKenna Lohr
Masters, 2022, Anthropology
Adviser: Dr. Raff
Josie Muskrat
Lori Fifield
Emily Kimball
Maggie Kovach
Emma Young
Deb Roy
Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns, or inquiries. We are particularly eager to hear from potential collaborators, potential graduate or undergraduate students, and any community members interested in or affected by our past or current research projects. This form can also be used for any press inquiries, or if you are interested in making a private or public donation to the KU Anthropological Genetics Research Facilities.