Department Affiliations
Narrative
I'm a PhD candidate in Archaeology and Biological Anthropology, minoring in
Human Genetics. I started the program in 2001 after spending four years
working as a field and laboratory Archaeologist for various Cultural
Resource Management firms. I received my BA in Anthropology in 1996 from
the University of Washington, Seattle.
My doctoral research is focused upon identifying correlations between
various factors that influence DNA preservation and the successful recovery
of DNA from archaeological and challenging forensic specimens. During my
tenure as a graduate student, I have completed internships at the Minnesota
Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) DNA lab, and at the PaleoDNA
Laboratory at Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario. Since 2005
I've been employed as a Forensic Scientist in the DNA section of the
BCA Laboratory. I have also returned twice to the PaleoDNA Laboratory to
conduct aspects of my research.
I'm currently writing up my dissertation, which involves chemical and
genetic analyses of sediment samples and faunal remains collected from the
Silvernale village site in Red Wing, Minnesota, the National Heritage sites
of Border Cave and Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa, and the World Heritage
site of Kromdraai, South Africa.
Alternative Output Formats