The Tarrytown Meetings

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Texas at Austin. As a molecular anthropologist, I am interested in the ways that genetics, culture, and history intersect. I study the patterns of human genetic variation and how they are shaped by culture, language, history, and geography. I also use both ancient and modern DNA to test archaeological, linguistic, and ethnohistorical hypotheses about Native American history and prehistory.

My second main area of research focuses on the field of genetic ancestry research. In particular, I am interested in how genetic ancestry tests influence and are influenced by contemporary American understandings of race, ethnicity, and identity.