News & Events

Fernando Villanea Delivers Dr Rufus Wood Leigh Lecture

Renee Kuban — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 16:55:17 +0000

Fernando Villanea Delivers Dr Rufus Wood Leigh Lecture Renee Kuban Mon, 04/13/2026 - 10:55

Professor Fernando Villanea recently delivered the Dr. Rufus Wood Leigh Invited Lecture at the University of Utah. The Rufus Wood Leigh Distinguished Lecture is an annual, endowed event at the University of Utah. Established by Dr. Rufus Wood Leigh, a pioneer in physical anthropology, the series features leading scholars in anthropology, genetics, and Native American studies.

Title: Neanderthal and Denisovan Genomic Variation in American Populations

Abstract: Neanderthals and Denisovans were two extinct groups of archaic human and were our closest relatives on the tree of life. Before extinction, Neanderthals and Denisovans interbred with our direct ancestors, leaving an archaic genetic inheritance that lives on in the genomes of living people, and is both a window into the past, and a legacy that aﬀects our current ﬁtness and health. Today, all global populations carry archaic ancestry to some degree, which is an active area of research due to the medical signiﬁcance of these gene variants. However, studying archaic genome ancestry in Indigenous American and admixed Latin American individuals presents a unique challenge: for over 20,000 years, that evolutionary trajectory was unique; but in the most recent 500 years, that trajectory was intermixed with the evolutionary histories of European and African populations. Modern American genomes thus carry confused signals of evolutionary processes in three sources of ancestry, which my research aims to de-convoluted to properly understand the origins, interactions, and medical importance of various archaic genome elements.

The full lecture is available to view on YouTube: Watch the Presentation

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Carla Jones Receives Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award

Renee Kuban — Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:10:27 +0000

Carla Jones Receives Outstanding Faculty Mentoring Award Renee Kuban Mon, 04/13/2026 - 09:10

Professor Carla Jones has received the Office of Faculty Affairs 2026 Award for Outstanding Faculty Mentoring! Recognized for her exceptional dedication to guiding colleagues and students, Professor Jones was honored at a special Chancellor’s lunch where she was presented with this prestigious award.

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Alibi Cool: Our Shakespearean Star

Renee Kuban — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 16:01:19 +0000

Alibi Cool: Our Shakespearean Star Renee Kuban Tue, 04/07/2026 - 10:01

A special shout-out to Alibi Cool, who was recently invited to audition for the Colorado Shakespeare Festival.

Alibi’s audition was even captured by Westword as part of their coverage on the festival's search for a canine performer. It’s not every day we see one of our own in the local arts news!

Read the article Westword

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Anna Wynfield Awarded a CHA Dissertation Fellowship

Renee Kuban — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 21:40:27 +0000

Anna Wynfield Awarded a CHA Dissertation Fellowship Renee Kuban Fri, 04/03/2026 - 15:40

Anna Wynfield (Cultural Anthropology, PhD Candidate) has been awarded a Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) Dissertation Fellowship for the 2026–2027 academic year. The yearlong fellowship from the University of Colorado Boulder will support the completion of her dissertation, which examines how midwives and pregnant people in the U.S. navigate injustices in care through contemporary feminist practices.

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Olumide Ojediran Presents at the University of MN

Renee Kuban — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 21:30:14 +0000

Olumide Ojediran Presents at the University of MN Renee Kuban Fri, 04/03/2026 - 15:30

Olumide Ojediran (Archaeology PhD in Progress) recently delivered an invited virtual presentation at the University of Minnesota. He shared his research as part of the Department of Anthropology’s Brown Bag series.

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Kaifa Roland Publishes Article in JLCA

Renee Kuban — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:56:53 +0000

Kaifa Roland Publishes Article in JLCA Renee Kuban Mon, 03/30/2026 - 11:56

Professor Kaifa Roland, former CU faculty member now at Clemson University, has published a new article, "Another Four Women: AfroCubana Entrepreneurs as Womanist Praxis in The Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology.

Abstract

This article is focused on four Black women entrepreneurs in Cuba's lucrative bed and breakfast home-based tourism economy, asking: (1) what intersectional factors facilitated their entrepreneurial enterprises, (2) how they conceptualize success, and (3) how their narratives illuminate patterns involving gendered race in the country's increasingly market-oriented context, and what opportunities might be on the horizon? Their narratives provide a praxis that demonstrates how despite their distinct paths to cuentapropismo (self-employment), socialist values largely shape their conceptions of success. Nonetheless, historic tropes from the prerevolutionary era involving White (or foreign) patriarchal gatekeepers reveal themselves, even with evidence of potential patrons who were previously inaccessible due to similar social marginalization. By centering these Black women's voices and experiences, this project uses womanism as theory in action.

Read the article Journal of Latin Amercian and Caribbean Anthropology

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Sanggay Tashi Presented at the AAS Conference & Awarded a CHA JEDI Fellowship

Renee Kuban — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:32:44 +0000

Sanggay Tashi Presented at the AAS Conference & Awarded a CHA JEDI Fellowship Renee Kuban Mon, 03/30/2026 - 11:32

Sanggay Tashi (Cultural Anthropology, PhD Candidate) recently presented at the Association for Asian Studies (AAS) Annual Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Sanggay's presentation, titled "From Grassland to Grassland: Transformation of Tibetan Pastoral Land and Livelihoods under Renewable Energy Development," examined how the shift toward green energy is impacting traditional Tibetan ways of life.

Sanggay was also awarded a Center for Humanities & the Arts JEDI Completion Fellowship for AY 2026-27. This fellowship will allow Sanggay Tashi to complete his in-progress dissertation “State Modernization, Certified Mobility, and Skillful Means of Tibetan Nomads Under Chinese Socialism.” Congratulations, Sanggay Tashi!

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Chilton Tippin Successfully Defended His PhD Dissertation

Renee Kuban — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:28:29 +0000

Chilton Tippin Successfully Defended His PhD Dissertation Renee Kuban Mon, 03/30/2026 - 11:28

Chilton Tippin successfully defended his PhD dissertation, "Blood of the Desert: Riverine Lifeworlds and the Politics of Water Along the Rio Grande." Jack's committee included Professor Jerry Jacka as advisor, along with Professors Scott Ortman, Donna Goldstein, Alison Cool and Eric Perramond.

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Jack Dalton Successfully Defended His PhD Dissertation

Renee Kuban — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 17:14:10 +0000

Jack Dalton Successfully Defended His PhD Dissertation Renee Kuban Mon, 03/30/2026 - 11:14

Jack Dalton successfully defended his PhD dissertation, "Behavioral Ecology of South African Thick-Tailed Bushbabies (Otolemur crassicaudatus) and Implications on Primate Social and Cognitive Evolution." Jack's committee included Professor Michelle Sauther as advisor, along with Professors Steven Leigh, Fernando Villanea, Nancy Stevens and Andrew McAdam.

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Amanda Rowe Completed 6 Weeks of Fieldwork in Madagascar and Led Programming at the AABA 2026 Annual Meeting

Renee Kuban — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 20:16:17 +0000

Amanda Rowe Completed 6 Weeks of Fieldwork in Madagascar and Led Programming at the AABA 2026 Annual Meeting Renee Kuban Fri, 03/27/2026 - 14:16

Postdoctoral Fellow Amanda Rowe recently completed six weeks of fieldwork in Madagascar and led programming at the American Association of Biological Anthropologists (AABA) 2026 annual meeting.

Fieldwork: In Madagascar, Rowe conducted nocturnal lemur captures and camera trap deployments. She also co-led national park excursions involving approximately 200 local community members.

Symposium & Workshop: At AABA 2026, Rowe organized and chaired the symposium "After Hours: Ecological and Evolutionary Insights from Nocturnal Primates" and the workshop "Rethinking Risk: Integrative Approaches to Fieldwork Safety."

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