Lab Personnel and Student Members

The ancient DNA lab at SFU is pleased to provide opportunities for new scholars (postdoctoral fellows or master’s and Ph.D. students) to work in the dedicated lab facilities to extract and analyze DNA from archaeological remains or museum collections to enhance their postdoc or student thesis research.

Dr. Yang has been serving as the senior supervisor, a co-supervisor, or a supervisory committee member for most of the current lab members (see the list below). If you are interested in accessing the ancient DNA lab facilities at SFU, please contact Dr. Yang, the lab director at donyang@sfu.ca for more information. 

Currently, Dr. Grace Hua Zhang serves as the lab manager, she is coordinating the lab operations and the lab personnel training, and maintaining the well-being and functionality of the lab. Please contact Dr. Grace Zhang, the lab manager at zhangh@sfu.ca  for more information. Besides ancient DNA studies, Dr. Zhang’s research interests also include human bioarchaeology, health and diseases of human populations of the past.  

Current Postdoctoral Fellows Working in the Lab     

Arianne Boileau, Ph.D. (University of Florida), FRQ Postdoctoral Fellow under Dr. Dongya Yang

Archaeology of the Maya Subarea, Mesoamerica, Human-environment Interactions, Zooarchaeological Method and Theory, Ancient DNA Analysis of Turtle Remains, Taphonomy, Isotope Analysis, and Environmental Archaeology. Email: arianne_boileau@sfu.ca  [more on the link here]

Thomas Royle, Ph.D. (SFU), Postdoctoral Fellow under Dr. Jonathan Driver  

Archaeology of the Pacific Northwest and Great Lakes, Archaeological Science, Ancient DNA, DNA Barcoding, Environmental Archaeology, Historical Ecology, Ichthyoarchaeology, Palaeoecology, Zooarchaeology. Email: troyle@sfu.ca [more on the link here]

Current Graduate Students Working in the Lab

Yuka Shichiza, Ph.D. student (with Dr. George Nicholas as the co-supervisor) [more on the link here]

Ancient DNA analysis, Indigenous archaeology, Archaeology of the Ainu in Hokkaido, Ichthyoarchaeology, Environmental archaeology, and Historical ecology

Christine Conlan, Ph.D. student (with Dr. Christina Giovas as the senior supervisor) [more on the link here]

Applied Zooarchaeology, Species Conservation, Isotopic Analysis, Ancient DNA, Island Archaeology, and Human/Faunal Interactions

Naifan Zhang, Visiting Ph.D. student from JLU, China (with Dr. Dawei Cai as the senior supervisor)

Ancient Genomic Studies of Archaeological Bovid Remains from Northeast China, Chinese Archaeology

Lauren Clark, MA student [more on the link here]

Ancient DNA analysis of archaeological cervid remains from Bridge River

Luke Jackman, MA student

Genomic Study of Extinct Northern Curlew

Cathy Tran, MA student [more on the link here] (with Dr. Hugo Cardoso as the senior supervisor)

Human Osteology, Ancient DNA, Forensic Anthropology, Humanitarian Forensics, Bioarchaeology

Antonia Rodrigues, Ph.D. Student, on Leave

Ancient DNA-based Bioarchaeology of Human-Environmental Interactions of the Past

Completed Graduate Students

Thomas Royle, Ph.D. (2021)

Thesis: Ancient DNA Analysis of Archaeological Fish Remains: Methods and Applications

Sophie Rabinow, M.A.(2020) (with Dr. Christina Giovas as the senior supervisor)

Thesis: Reconstructing Ceramic Age Interactions between South America and Carriacou (Lesser Antilles) with a Novel Commensal Proxy: Translocated Agouti (Dasyprocta leporina) Mitochondrial aDNA

Kelly Brown, M.A. (2016)

Thesis: Developing Minimally Impactful Protocols for DNA Analysis of Museum Collection Bone Artifacts

Hua Grace Zhang, Ph.D. (2016)

Thesis: Human Osteoarchaeological Research on Stress and Lifeways of Bronze Age populations in North China

Melissa Roth, M.A. (2015)

Thesis: Using Ancient mtDNA to Track Temporal Genetic Changes of Pacific Herring Populations in the Central Coast of British Columbia

Evan Hardy, M.A.(2015)

Thesis: The Bioarchaeological Examination of the Skeletal Remains of Warring States Period Tuchengzi, Inner Mongolia

Cara Halseth, M.A.(2015)

Thesis: Reconstructing Northern Fur Seal Population Diversity through Ancient and Modern DNA Data

Thomas Royle, M.A. (2014)

Thesis: there's More than One Fish in the Sea: Investigating the Composition of Middle and Late Period Fisheries at EeRb-144, British Columbia, Canada through Ancient DNA Analysis

Kasia Zimmerman, M.A. (2014)

Thesis: Changing Ways, Constant Companions: The Ancient DNA and Local Knowledge of Tla'amin Dogs

Antonia Rodrigues (MA 2012)

Thesis: Experimental Investigation into the Preservation and Recovery of Degraded DNA from Sediments

Ursula Arndt (Ph.D. 2011)

Thesis: Ancient DNA Analysis of Northeast Pacific Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae)

Jason Moore (MA 2011)

Thesis: Comparative Study of Ancient DNA Extraction Methods for Archaeological Plant Remains

Krista McGrath (MA 2010)

Thesis: The Effects of High Temperature on the Quantity and Quality of Mitochondrial and Nuclear DNA in Non-Human Skeletal Remains

Camilla Speller (Ph.D. 2009)

Thesis: Investigating Turkey Domestication in the Southwest United States through Ancient DNA Analysis

Kathy Watt (MA 2005)

Thesis: Decontamination Techniques in Ancient DNA Analysis

Camilla Speller (MA 2005)

Thesis: One Fish, Two Fish, Old Fish, New Fish: Investigating Differential Distribution of Salmon Resources in the Pacific Northwest through Ancient DNA Analysis

Alice Storey (MA 2004)

Thesis: The Effects of SAVE ME A DRUMSTICK: Molecular Taphonomy, Differential Preservation and Ancient DNA from the Kingdom of Tonga

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