Q: Tell me about you and what you did at SLU.
A: I grew up in northern Vermont and graduated from St. Lawrence in the class of 2024 with a double-major in Biology and Anthropology. At SLU, I was a TA for General Biology, Microbial Ecology, and Microbiology, served on the Anthropology Club executive board for two years, and worked as a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technician. I’m a member of the TriBeta Biological Honor Society and the Lambda Alpha National Anthropology Honor Society. In my free time, I enjoy Rubik’s Cubes, music, stamp collecting, and exploring the outdoors.
Q: What is your research area and why are you interested in it?
A: Ancient DNA (aDNA) has many applications in reconstructing past ecosystems and the lives of both human and non-human animals. The genomes of ancient organisms are fragmented and scattered, requiring complex methods to assemble the puzzles of our past. I’m most fascinated by aDNA as a means to study the interactions between old and current humans, as well as how different evolutionary factors shaped our diversity and health.
Paleogenetics, or the study of aDNA, is a relatively new and exciting sub-discipline of biology. Researchers in this field try to get as much DNA as possible from old samples while making sure that what they’re studying is real aDNA and not contamination from microbes in the environment or even the DNA of the researchers themselves. The aim of the field is to learn more about the lives of people and non-human animals in the past, which takes both careful work and a lot of patience to piece together their stories.
Q: What is your job? How is that informing your journey as a researcher?
A: I work as a Yale Postgraduate Associate, a position for bachelor’s or master’s degree-holders interested in pursuing doctoral studies. These positions are generally one to two years in duration, and enable recent graduates to develop research skills, build connections, and become involved with exciting and innovative work. While most postgraduate positions are in the biological/biomedical sciences, others can be found in disciplines such as art history and museum conservation! I’m not currently taking courses, but my job allows me to study a breadth of topics across anthropology, population genetics, and molecular biology.
Q: What are you working on these days?
A: I’m working on two main projects at the moment. The first involves examining archaic premodern human (Neanderthals and Denisovans) and anatomically modern human mitochondrial function. Mitochondria have their own DNA which is essential to produce an energy source (ATP - adenosine triphosphate) for cell function. By comparing the mitochondrial DNA of ancient human lineages, we hope to understand how certain genetic differences affected human health and adaptation to different environments.
My second project focuses on improving methods to better visualize archaeological sediments. I’ve created GIS mapping models to study how genetic material is preserved in different environments, and I aim to determine what environmental variables are more influential over aDNA and yield.
Q: Has this position at Yale given you any cool opportunities like travel or meeting interesting people?
A: Within a week of starting my position, I embarked on a paleogenetics fieldwork trip to the Gobi Desert in Övörkangai Province, Mongolia. I spent my time living alongside Polish and Mongolian archaeologists who conducted excavations throughout the desert’s “Flint Valley” to study the lives and technological developments of prehistoric populations. Our task was to collect hundreds of sediment samples for aDNA extraction and sequencing, which will allow us to contextualize biodiversity and human activity across a cave site’s chronological layers. The ability to perform both laboratory work and fieldwork is a perfect combination for me, and collaborating with researchers from around the world provides invaluable opportunities to gain new perspectives and become a better scientist.
Q: How did studying biology and anthropology at SLU prepare you for this role?
A: Pursuing a double major gave me an incredibly holistic college experience, and it allowed me to develop a path specifically tailored to my interests. I entered SLU knowing that I would study biology, but many of my interests overlapped heavily with topics in anthropology such as forensics, archaeology, and learning from other cultures. I first learned about aDNA research through my advisors, Dr. Mindy Pitre (Anthropology) and Dr. Lorraine Olendzenski (Biology), while developing my SLU Summer Fellowship proposal. My fellowship research involved extracting bacterial DNA from the fossilized dental plaque of ancient Mesopotamian individuals. I sought to investigate how human oral microbiomes have shifted with dietary and lifestyle changes throughout history.
People from many academic backgrounds are involved in aDNA research, and my anthropology major has helped me to better contextualize human experiences across time. In addition to physically extracting and preparing aDNA for sequencing, you need to think from the lens of ancient humans in a robustly different world. The DNA we recover represents real people who navigated our same Earth with complex emotions and knowledge relevant to their distinct lifestyles. Reconstructing past populations is a multi-faceted endeavor, and biomolecular analysis greatly amplifies the information we can gather from archaeological material.
Q: How was the job application process, and do you have any advice for current SLU students who would like to do something similar?
A: The application process for my job required my CV, academic transcript, references, and a cover letter which explained my motivations for this position. After two rounds of interviews, I received an offer and accepted it immediately. If you’re applying to work in a lab, I highly recommend doing your own research to understand exactly what they do, and to demonstrate genuine interest in their particular work. Being your authentic self and staying true to your aspirations makes building strong connections much easier.
St. Lawrence offers many opportunities to pursue independent research or experiences related to your academic interests. These help you to strongly stand out on applications, and having a project of your own to comfortably discuss is incredibly helpful during interviews. You should speak to your advisor about project options, be that an existing one or something new that you design and carry out! The SLU Summer Fellowship program allowed me to explore topics and techniques in paleogenetic research, but fellowships are open to all majors and fields of interest. Enrolling in a Senior Year Experience (if not already required by your major) is also a great opportunity for niche independent research.
Q: Anything else you’d like to share?
A: To all students of any major, you should take an anthropology class! Course content across the Department of Anthropology is astounding, and its professors are among the most knowledgeable, well-spoken, and supportive faculty you’ll meet at SLU. You’ll have a chance to delve into the foremost question of “What makes us human?”, and I guarantee that you’ll develop meaningful new perspectives on yourself and the world around you.
