Ebenezer Olamiposi Adeyemi is a sociocultural PhD student under the advisement of Professor Theodore Powers. Ebenezer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Anthropology and a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies--both from the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Ebenezer also received a Master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Iowa in May 2021.

Brittany is currently a third year PhD student in sociocultural anthropology under the advisement of Dr. Theodore Powers. Her work is based in Freetown, Sierra Leone with those affected by the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic. Her preliminary research involved examining the long-term aftermath of home-based quarantine on economic and social relationships. Her dissertation research will work with Ebola survivors in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Kyle Bikowski is a PhD Candidate in Sociocultural Anthropology under the joint advisement of Dr. Brady G’Sell and Dr. Laura Graham (Emeritus). He holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and an MA in Anthropology from Louisiana State University. His work focuses on the role of globalized “Geek” culture in the formation and performance of masculinities.

Shannon is a first-year archaeology graduate student under the advisement of Dr. Katina Lillios. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Archaeology from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse in 2021. Her area of study is prehistoric European Archaeology. Shannon’s broad research interests center around material culture, the use and making of ceramics, and the intersection between art and archaeology.

Binit is a doctoral student in Socio-cultural Anthropology at the University of Iowa. His research interests are centered around digital cultures, queer theory, feminist anthropology, critical race theory, caste, and Indigenous studies. Binit situates the Northeastern Indigenous queer perspective to decolonize dominant studies of India and complicates the relationship between intimacy, indigently, digital cultures, and globalization. He is interested in exploring how Northeastern Indigenous people navigate their sexualities through queer dating apps amidst the systemic violence, prejudice, and hate crimes in mainland India?

Lucas Howser is an anthropology PhD student focusing on archaeology and is jointly advised by Dr. Margaret Beck and Dr. Matt Hill. Lucas received his BS in Anthropology from Northern Illinois University in 2018 and his MS in Cultural Resource Management Archaeology from St. Cloud State University in 2022. His current research interests are geomorphology, GIS inter-site analysis, precolonial lithics, and archaeology of the American mid-continent.

Derick Juptner is an archaeology graduate student advised by Dr. Matt Hill. He received his bachelors in anthropology at Texas A&M University (’19) and his Masters in Anthropology at Iowa (’22). His research focuses on the environmental archaeology of Indigenous groups on the Great Plains during the contact period. His studies involve questions about understanding the subsistence patterns, environmental interactions, and the extent of peri-colonial impacts on Plains people over the past 1000 years.

Steven is a PhD student advised by Dr. Margaret Beck. He studies Woodland Period (2500-1000 BP) archaeology in North America. Steven’s dissertation research focuses on the ceramic technology, chronology, and social complexity of the widespread Hopewell phenomenon of the Middle Woodland Period (2100–1600 BP). He is investigating the timing and ritual contexts of association for Hopewell ceramics in the Lower Mississippi and Arkansas River valleys. His research aims to broaden social theory applied to the interregional social interactions that led to the widespread appearance of Hopewell artifact design styles and ceremonial practices among diverse Woodland communities.

Max Lieberman is a PhD student in cultural anthropology advised by Dr. Scott Schnell. He graduated with a BA in English literature and minor in anthropology from Pennsylvania State University in 2011. His research focuses on the relationships between people and wildlife, specifically concerning the bison herds of Yellowstone National Park.

Logan is an anthropology Ph.D student focusing on biological anthropology advised by Dr. Robert Franciscus. Logan received a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology from Illinois State University in 2018. His research interested in craniofacial anatomy and craniofacial development of Middle to Late Pleistocene hominins.

Victoria Priola is an anthropology Ph.D. student focusing in archaeology advised by Dr. Katina Lillios. She graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and a minor in History. Victoria’s area of study is prehistoric European archeology. Her interests address textile and craft production as well as gender.

Jessica Ramirez is a PhD student in cultural and medical anthropology advised by Dr. Elana Buch. She received a Bachelor of Science in Anthropology with a minor in Biology from Texas State University in 2021 and a Master of Arts in Anthropology from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2024. Her work explores the relationship between local ideologies of kinship and care and bureaucratized care regulations in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas.

Andrés is a Ph.D. student in Sociocultural Anthropology, advised by Dr. Elana Buch. He has a B.S. in Nursing (2017), an M.A. in Cultural Studies (2020), and an M.A. in Anthropology (2023). His research explores the connections between reproductive justice, obstetric violence, and birth reform in Medellín, Colombia.

Corinne is a sixth-year archaeology graduate student under the advisement of Dr. Katina Lillios. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Emory University in 2016 and a Master of Arts in Archaeology from the University of Leicester in 2019. Her dissertation research examines how fibrolite groundstone tools were sourced, created, and used in Neolithic and Copper Age Iberia. She also explores questions of origin and authenticity in recently created megalithic sites, specifically through the Indonesian standing stones at Harvest Preserve in Iowa City.