Chelechol ra Orrak, Palau A major component of my dissertation involved fieldwork and analysis of Ancestors from the Chelechol ra Orrak site in Palau, Micronesia, which includes a cemetery component that coincides with the earliest phases of human settlement in the Palauan archipelago. Using ancient DNA, isotopic, and osteological analyses, research at Chelechol ra Orrak is shedding light on the origins and adaptations of the first people to live on these islands. This work, funded by the Wenner Gren Foundation, National Science Foundation, and various sources at the University of Oregon, is in collaboration with researchers at the University of Kansas, University of Florida, and the Palau Bureau of Cultural and Historical Preservation. |
Caribbean Population History
My postdoctoral work integrates genetic and anthropological methods to explore the population history of the Caribbean islands. Through a combination of ancient DNA, bioarchaeological data, and radiocarbon dating we are working to reconstruct population dynamics associated with the initial settlement of Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles. This work is funded by the National Science Foundation in collaboration with researchers at the University of Miami, University of Puerto Rico, University of Oregon, the Barbados Museum and Historical Society, and the Walkers Institute for Regenerative Research, Education, and Design (WIRRED). |
Ucheliungs, Palau I have also conducted fieldwork at Ucheliungs, an early mortuary and small scale habitation site. Ongoing work involving bioarchaeological and biomolecular analyses are suggestive of an interconnected network of early communities and disprove previous claims of insular dwarfing due to isolation. This work was funded by the Wenner Gren Foundation, National Science Foundation, and the University of Oregon, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Manchester and the Palau Bureau of Cultural and Historical Preservation. |