My Research
Understanding Ancient Humans
Presence of the Mycobacterial Tuberculosis Complex in Neolithic Ukraine Skeletal Samples
During my undergraduate school year of 2017, I applied for and was awarded the Student/Faculty Collaborative Research Grant in the amount of $3,500 to perform research on the presence of the Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex in ancient skeletal samples.
Now in graduate school I have been trying to acquire larger funds to be able to do Next Generation Sequencing and identify evolution of tuberculosis, its phylogeographic distribution, transmission dynamics, and antibiotic resistance.
aDNA
Ancient DNA (aDNA) is a specialized field within Anthropology. Through molecular techniques, I seek to understand human evolution and variation and how it relates to population levels. I also am interested in studying ancient pathologies through aDNA in order to understand biocultural interactions and consequences.
Bioarchaeology
Much of my experience has been in Bioarchaeology. I have participated in four archaeological field seasons at Verteba Cave, Ukraine where I have learned to utilize archaeological methods and techniques to properly identify, map, and excavate a site. I have also utilized my experience in osteology to help analyze any remains recovered.