From Ancient Identities to Modern Forensics: Integrative Approaches to Human Identification | Job Talk by Lacy Hazelwood
- Event Type
- Lecture
- Sponsor
- Anthropology
- Location
- Davenport Hall, Room 230
- Date
- Nov 18, 2025 3:30 pm
- Speaker
- Lacy Hazelwood
- Views
- 9
- Originating Calendar
- Anthropology
My research integrates molecular and forensic anthropology across ancient, historical, and modern forensic contexts for the purpose of human identification. Part of this research focuses on the use of forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG) to aid community-driven identification efforts. I currently work alongside the Blackfeet Native American tribal community in Montana and the African American community in Sugar Land, Texas to build community-owned DNA databases. These projects represent a key element of my broader research trajectory: using population genetics and FIGG to bring closure and justice to unidentified individuals and their families, while confronting the ethical challenges of working with marginalized populations. At UIUC, I plan to build upon this research to improve the representation and analysis of diverse populations in investigative genetics.
Future research will also aim to optimize the efficiency of FIGG technologies on highly degraded DNA, which is commonly encountered in forensic contexts. This results from my own doctoral research which focuses on the analysis of poorly preserved and fragmented skeletal remains from the prehistoric site of Paquimé (AD 1200-1450) in Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico. I implement a forensic osteological approach to analyze the skeletal assemblage for evidence of ritual and performative violence and use advances in DNA and isotope analyses to reconstruct victim identities. I am interested in how an individual’ age, biological sex, migrant status, and kinship affiliations predisposed them to violence, and how such violence evolved.