Ripan S. Malhi is a Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with affiliations in Anthropology, School of Integrative Biology, American Indian Studies and the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology. His research areas include partnering with Indigenous communities of North America to use genomic variation to infer the evolutionary histories of Indigenous peoples of the Americas including the impacts of European Colonization. Along with his research, Dr. Malhi uses his time to help make scientific research more inclusive. He is Co-Director for both the Summer internship for INdigenous peoples in Genomics (SING) USA program and the Increasing Diversity in Evolutionary Anthropological Studies (IDEAS) program. Dr. Malhi is also Editor of the journal Human Biology and Associate Editor of the American Journal of Physical Anthropology. Prior to his position at University of Illinois, he co-founded and served as the CEO of Trace Genetics, Inc., a biotechnology company located in the greater San Francisco area. Dr. Malhi received his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California at Davis. Lastly, but most importantly, he is the father of twins (Rana and Sonhi) and partner to their amazing mother (Alison).
Send email at malhi@illinois.edu

Alida is a postdoctoral researcher at UIUC that collaborates with the Malhi Lab on ancient DNA projects. Her research focuses on the genetics and genomics of modern and ancient wildlife, including modern and ancient African elephants, 2000-year-old salmon from Alaska, ancient lions from South and East Africa, and ivory from a 16th century shipwreck. Alida is especially passionate about wildlife conservation and the human-wildlife interface.  Alida’s extracurricular interests include artistic ventures into drawing, fabric art and silversmithing, and she also enjoys travelling and spending time in nature.

Send email at deflami2@illinois.edu

Mary Rogers-LaVanne is a biological anthropologist specializing in epigenetics and reproductive ecology. She is currently a postdoctoral research associate at the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She conducts research on the connections between lived experiences and biological outcomes by investigating the relationships between 1) historical trauma and gene methylation, 2) childhood stressors, epigenetic traits, and reproductive hormone variation, and 3) childhood social support and life history trait timing. She works in partnership with Alaska Native Peoples, Polish and Polish American women, and American adolescents in order to achieve these research goals. She has training in community-based research methods and aims for her research studies to benefit science and society. You can learn more about her work on her website and google scholar.

Send Email at rogers10@illinois.edu

Hi! I’m a new PhD student in ecology, evolution, and conservation biology at UIUC. I come from a molecular biology background and am interested in the intersection of biological methods and anthropological questions. Outside of school and lab, you can find me running, crafting, cooking, and/or having stare-downs with my cat.

Send Email at vivianc3@illinois.edu

Maria’s research interests are human genetics, immunology, and host-pathogen interactions. She is interested in how interdisciplinary approaches can aid in answering questions that are relevant to multiple fields. Her current research focuses on large scale epidemics through time. Looking at multiple disease events allows for a better analysis of hidden heterogeneity in risk of mortality as well as disease expression, and how these specific disease events can create selection pressure. In her free time Maria enjoys reading, puzzles, outdoor activities, and fostering cats.

Send Email at mlcox3@illinois.edu

Send Email at samclea2@illinois.edu

My name is Sahara I am a single parent of two kids. I was born and raised in Southern California, although I briefly grew up in Mexico City as well. This is my first year as a PhD candidate. I am an ASPIRE and NSF Fellow. My research interests are in the peopling of the Americas and in decolonizing science. Aside from being a regular reader and writer, I also like to play with my kids, hike, skateboard, ride my bike, draw, paint, and was involved in a danza Azteca group at home in California.

Email me at szv2@illinois.edu

I am a PhD Candidate in biological anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. I study how factors like diet, environment, and social behavior influence the microbiome composition and function. Due to the numerous influences on the microbiome, it is frequently helpful to control for as many variables as possible to isolate the factors I’m particularly interested in. As a result, I work with the microbiomes of dogs and vampire bats, both as proxies for humans. By isolating contributions of specific factors to microbial variation in model organisms, I hope to better demonstrate how large scale, multivariate shifts like industrialization alter microbiome composition and function. Outside of my research, I enjoy reading, writing, and playing video games.

Email me at yarlaga2@illinois.edu

I’m a junior studying Journalism with a minor in Integrative Biology. My interests are in science journalism and how systemic inequity shapes the way we conduct, communicate about, and learn science. I hope to become a multimedia journalist covering the environment and general sciences after graduation. Aside from academics, I’m an assistant new editor at The Daily Illini, president of UIUC’s chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association, and a flute player in the University Band.

vla2@illinois.edu