Meet the Lab Team!

Scroll down to see some of the faces of the people who are working on the genetic and isotopic portions of the Belén Project.
Please use the contact form on the Home Page if you have questions for any researchers about the project.

Dr. Rick W. A. Smith

Dr. Smith is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at George Mason University. He is the founder of the Critical Molecular Anthropology Lab and directs two genomics research facilities for ancient and contemporary DNA analysis. Dr. Smith is a genetic anthropologist working at the intersections of genomics and Science and Technology Studies (STS). He works with multiple communities in New Mexico, Texas, and Belize using genetics to reconstruct population histories in the Spanish colonial world and address health disparities.

Dr. Angelina Locker

Dr. Locker is an archaeologist in the Department of Anthropology at Vanderbilt University who studies the intersection of migration, kinship, placemaking, and resilience of ancient peoples via isotope geochemistry. She conducts her research at the Bioarchaeology & Stable Isotope Research Lab (BSIRL). Her research focuses on how places are made and remembered. She works with multiple communities in New Mexico, Belize, and Peru using isotopes to reconstruct people’s diets and movements in the past.

Kathleen Gruber

Kathleen (Kate) Gruber is a former graduate student and alumnus of the Critical Molecular Anthropology Lab. She worked in Dr. Smith’s Ancient DNA lab, where she worked with descendant communities on projects related to the genetic histories of their Ancestors. Kate’s interests converge at the nexus of NAGPRA, repatriation, and bioarchaeology, where she seeks to contribute meaningful insights and foster engagement.

Brianna Dittmer

Brianna Dittmer is a former graduate student and alumnus of the Critical Molecular Anthropology Lab. She worked in the contemporary DNA lab on the descendant DNA samples from the Belén project. Brianna is currently working as an archaeologist in New Mexico.

Gréta Kühne

Gréta Kühne is a former graduate student and alumnus of the Critical Molecular Anthropology Lab. She worked in Dr. Smith’s Ancient DNA lab, where she worked with descendant communities on projects related to the genetic histories of their Ancestors. Gréta is looking to get her PhD in Bioarchaeology.