DNA for Archaeologists

Elizabeth (Lisa) Matisoo-Smith is Professor of Biological Anthropology at the University of Otago. Her main research focus is on using DNA data to address issues in Pacific prehistory. She developed the use of the commensal model, looking at ancient and modern DNA variation in transported animals, to track human migration pathways in the Pacific, and now combines this approach with analyses of ancient and modern human DNA, working closely with local communities and National Museums in the Pacific region. Lisa has undertaken fieldwork in California, France, French Polynesia, New Guinea, Tokelau, New Zealand and, most recently, Chile.

K. Ann Horsburgh is a Research Fellow in the Department of Anatomy at the University of Otago and an Honorary Research Fellow in the School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies at the University of Witwatersrand. She earned her Ph.D. in Anthropology at Stanford University where she wrote her dissertation on cattle, dog and sheep domesticaation in Southern African prehistory using ancient DNA. She is currently developing the application of next generation sequencing technology to better understand the processes of human selection in cattle domestication across Africa.