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CHES Graduate Affiliate Kristine Maassen has been selected as a recipient of the inaugural Rutgers Democracy Lab Summer Research Fellowship. Her fellowship project, "Sharing More Than Space: Democracy and Interdependence in Communal Living," examines how intentional communities, including communes, ecovillages, and cohousing communities, organize shared labor, collective decision-making, and mutual support. By studying how these communities sustain trust, participation, and shared responsibility over time, her research provides new insights into democratic engagement, community wellbeing, and the factors that support long-term collective action.
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It is with great sadness that the Center for Human Evolutionary Studies announces the passing of Sara Magee, a valued member of our extended CHES community. Dr. Susan Cachel, Sara's undergraduate thesis advisor, offers this tribute:
"I am very sad to report that Ms. Sara Magee, a former CHES affiliate and alumna of Rutgers University has died. Sara graduated from Rutgers in 2019 with a major in Evolutionary Anthropology and a minor in Geology. She completed her senior honors thesis under the direction of Dr. Susan Cachel, with Dr. Hylke De Jong as the second reader. Her thesis was titled “The Effects of Chewing Time on Gonial Morphology in the Mammalian Mandible,” and she received 1st prize for her poster presentation on this work. She also graduated as a Paul Robeson Scholar from Rutgers. During her time at Rutgers she attended the Koobi Fora Field School, and was affiliated with the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton after her graduation. She later received an M.A. in Anthropology from the State University of New York at Albany, graduating in 2025, and was a member of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists.
Sara loved functional morphology. Her ultimate goal was to become a museum curator and study mammal evolution. Her life was too short. She will be sorely missed. They say that any person’s death diminishes us, and this is certainly true with the loss of Sara."
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CHES graduate affiliate William Aguado successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on May 8, 2026! His dissertation, "Nutritional Ecology in Orangutans and the Evolution of Salivary Defenses in Primates," combines ecological fieldwork in the rainforests of Indonesian Borneo with laboratory analyses of rainforest plants to investigate how orangutan feeding behavior and nutrient intake vary in response to seasonal ecological changes. In parallel, his research examines the genetics of salivary proteins to better understand the evolution of dietary adaptations across primates.
Congratulations to Dr. Aguado on this outstanding achievement!
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CHES Graduate Affiliate & Program Coordinator Eva Hernandez-Janer is among 3 students who has been selected to represent Rutgers University's School of Graduate Studies at the 2026 American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Catalyzing Advocacy in Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop. The highly competitive national workshop brings together graduate students from across the country to learn how scientific research informs public policy and to develop skills in science communication and advocacy. Participants engage with policymakers, science leaders, and fellow researchers while exploring the role of scientists in shaping evidence-based policy.
Congratulations to Eva on this well-deserved recognition!
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CHES graduate affiliate Andrew Schwartz successfully defended his doctoral dissertation on February 26, 2026! His dissertation, “Inferring Mammalian Historic and Prehistoric Dietary Ecology Through Dental Microwear Texture Analysis,” uses advanced dental microwear texture analysis to reconstruct the diets of mammals across evolutionary timescales, offering new insights into dietary ecology and evolutionary adaptation. Andrew’s dissertation committee included Rob Scott (Chair), Craig Feibel, Susan Cachel, and Larisa DeSantis (Vanderbilt University).
In addition, Andrew was recently featured as a scientific consultant for a popular YouTuber's video titled "Who was our ancestor when the dinosaurs died?"
Congratulations to Dr. Schwartz on this outstanding achievement & check out the video in the link above!
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On February 27, 2026, the Anthropology Department held its annual Second Year Colloquium (2Yq), where second-year Ph.D. students present their developing dissertation research. This year’s presenters included CHES graduate affiliates Kristine Maassen, Khaled Bin Oli Bhuiyan, and Jo Gansemer. Kristine presented preliminary fieldwork on cooperation and well-being in intentional communities, Khaled examined market integration and energetic trade-offs in growth and development in Vanuatu, and Jo presented research on gastrointestinal parasites and health markers in Bornean orangutans.
Congratulations to all presenters!!
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CHES graduate affiliate Khaled Bin Oli Bhuiyan has published a new article in the American Journal of Human Biology!
The study investigates how early-life environmental adversity may shape metabolic processes linked to obesity risk. Using data from children and adolescents in Vanuatu, the research finds that individuals experiencing greater early-life stress show reduced fat oxidation, a physiological pathway that may increase the likelihood of fat accumulation later in life. These findings contribute to a growing understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying the global “double burden” of malnutrition.
Congratulations to Khaled on this important publication!
Check out the article > https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajhb.70208
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This month, we feature Dimitri Papavasiliou, a fourth-year PhD student in Anthropology whose research examines fire use and domestic space in Pleistocene hunter-gatherers, with a focus on hearth and bedding practices. His work combines ethnoarchaeology, microarchaeological methods, and international collaboration to better understand how everyday human behaviors are preserved in the archaeological record.
Dimitri received his B.A. and M.A. in archaeology from Boston University, where he specialized in tropical archaeobotany. His research affiliations include the University of Nairobi, the British Institute in Eastern Africa, the National Museums of Kenya, and the Ogiek Peoples’ Development Program. He also collaborates with the AMBI Lab at La Laguna University in Spain and is a member of Rutgers’ Laboratory for MicroArchaeology.
Research Focus
Hearths and bedding materials are central to understanding Paleolithic lifeways but are highly vulnerable in preservation. Dimitri’s research addresses two key challenges: identifying the function of Paleolithic hearth features, and detecting bedding materials in archaeological contexts.
To address these questions, he conducted ethnoarchaeological fieldwork with the Ogiek, an Indigenous hunter-gatherer community in Kenya. His work documents traditional fire-and bed-making practices and collects comparative samples to improve the interpretation of archaeological sites.
Fieldwork and Methods
Dimitri spent five months in the field. He lived and worked with the Ogiek community in Kenya for two months, followed by three months in Spain. While in Spain, he excavated at the Middle Paleolithic site of El Salt and conducted laboratory analyses.
His methods include micromorphology, FTIR, loss on ignition (LOI), phytolith analysis, and microcharcoal quantification, with samples processed at Rutgers and partner institutions.
Life in the Field
Dimitri’s mornings began with loud tapping at the window of the small room in the cultural center where he stayed, caused by a forest bird smashing nuts against the glass. His days were spent organizing equipment, coordinating excavation schedules, collecting samples, and conducting interviews with community members. Much of the work required careful planning, including protecting samples left to dry overnight in the forest and securing permission from village elders before working in local communities.
Excavating a single hearth feature took approximately 3 hours, and because the plaster covering micromorphology blocks needed to dry overnight, Dimitri often protected samples in the forest and returned the following day. Some sampling took place in villages, requiring permission from elders and close observation by community members. He also conducted interviews at both the cultural center and in surrounding villages.
K
ey Insights
Dimitri documented nine types of traditional hearth features and three types of bedding practices. These features produced distinct stratigraphic signatures, ranging from thick ash layers and rubified sediments to subtle sediment discoloration. Bedding features revealed sediment patterns comparable to phytolith-rich deposits identified at Sibudu Cave in South Africa. Highlighting the potential of ethnoarchaeology to refine interpretations of Paleolithic domestic behavior.
Community Impact
Beyond academic contributions, Dimitri emphasizes ethical, collaborative research. He was the first researcher to work with the Ogiek’s newly established cultural center and hopes his project will support long-term research partnerships and broader recognition of Ogiek history and culture.
Together with community members, he founded the Ogiek Youth Development Program (OYDP), which supports education, school supplies, and intergenerational mentorship initiatives, an effort he describes as one of the most rewarding parts of his fieldwork.
CHES Support
This research was supported by the CHES Albert Fellows Dissertation Research Grant, which enabled his extended international fieldwork.
Advice for the Field
Be prepared, be respectful, and enjoy every moment. Let adversity introduce you to yourself and let the challenges make you wiser…
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Congratulations to CHES Graduate Affiliates Natalie Robinson and Becca DeCamp on receiving prestigious research grants from the Leakey Foundation! Selected among an international cohort of researchers, both received funding to support innovative doctoral research that advances our understanding of primate evolution, behavior, and conservation.
Natalie Robinson, a Ph.D. candidate working with Dr. Erin Vogel, studies how environmental conditions, nutrition, and energetics shape female reproductive function in wild orangutans at the Tuanan Orangutan Research Station in Indonesian Borneo. Her research combines non-invasive hormone analyses, behavioral observations, and ecological monitoring to understand how changing rainforest environments influence reproduction in one of our closest living relatives. The Leakey Foundation grant will support a 12-month field season in Indonesia and provide training opportunities for Indonesian undergraduate students in field and laboratory research. To read more: https://grad.rutgers.edu/news/studying-orangutan-reproduction
Rebecca (Becca) DeCamp, a Ph.D. candidate working with Dr. Christina Bergey, investigates how natural selection has shaped genes involved in sperm form and function across primates with different mating systems. Their research examines whether similar evolutionary pressures have independently acted on these genes in Malagasy primates with group-living, multi-male/multi-female and monogamous mating systems, providing new insights into the evolution of reproductive biology.
Congratulations to Natalie and Becca on this outstanding achievement!
We look forward to following their exciting research.
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Dr. Susan Cachel, CHES faculty member and Professor of Anthropology at Rutgers, recently advised a Cranbury Middle School team competing in the First LEGO League Robotics Innovation Challenge and helped them design a field-ready solution inspired by real archaeological challenges.
Drawing from her experience in Kenya with the Koobi Fora Paleoanthropological Field School, Dr. Cachel taught students about the limits of solar panels in extreme heat. The team then developed an innovative tent system that combines solar panels with hydropanels, which extract water from air humidity to generate drinking water and cool the solar technology.
Their concept integrates lightweight Dyneema fabric, recycled materials, and dual water and power systems to support archaeologists in remote, arid environments. The students also demonstrated that their system could dramatically increase daily water availability up to 4 to 8 liters per day while reducing emissions associated with fuel use and bottled water transport based on their project testing and design work.
With Dr. Cachel’s guidance, the team successfully advanced through the Mid Atlantic FLL Robotics Competition and placed in the top six teams, qualifying for the next level at the state competition. CHES congratulates Dr. Cachel and the Cranbury Middle School team on their achievement and celebrates this collaboration as a standout example of applied anthropology inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers!!!