Research Labs

The Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto Mississauga is home to cutting-edge anthropological research laboratories representing the diverse subfields of our discipline.

Ramsey Laboratory for Environmental Archaeology

Dr. Monica Ramsey

"The Ramsey Laboratory for Environmental Archaeology (RLEA, re-LEE-ya) at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) supports a multi-proxy approach to paleoethnobotany, including phytolith, starch, starch spherulite, microcharcoal and macrobotanical analyses. Focused particularly on the extraction of ancient microbotanical remains from sediments, artifact residues and teeth, this approach allows us to answer questions related to how humans impacted their environments, adapted to changing climate, and developed subsistence practices and foodways."

RLEA website


Schroeder Lab: Evolutionary Morphology

Dr. Lauren Schroeder

"The Schroeder Lab in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto Mississauga is focused on the “how” and “why” of morphology – addressing major questions related to evolutionary process and variability in human and primate evolution. By applying innovative quantitative methods and theoretical approaches from evolutionary biology, the goal of the Schroeder lab is to transform the way we ask questions, form hypotheses, and analyse data in the field of palaeoanthropology."

Schroeder Lab website


Sleep and Human Evolution Lab (SHEL)

Dr. David Samson

"Research in the Sleep and Human Evolution Lab (SHEL) focuses on the biology, ecology, and evolution of primate sleep. It is well known that sleep is important to many physical and mental processes of the human body; however, many aspects of the role of sleep in human evolution remain a mystery. To investigate the fitness enhancing properties of sleep, we use non-invasive technologies to record sleep and sleep architecture for a range of human and non-human primates. The SHEL's ultimate goal is to further our understanding of the evolutionary links between sleep, health, and cognition in the human lineage."

SHEL website


Novroski Lab: Forensic Genetics

Dr. Nicole Novroski

"The Novroski Research Laboratory focuses on forensic and investigative genetics at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Dr. Novroski utilizes massively parallel sequencing (MPS; also known as next-generation sequencing) coupled with novel approaches and methodologies for forensic human identity testing. Her current research explores previously uncharacterized genetic markers for improved DNA mixture de-convolution."

Novroski Lab website 


The Toxicity, Waste and Infrastructure Group (TWIG) Research Kitchen

Dr. Zoë Wool

"The TWIG Research Kitchen is a feminist research space for experiments in research on toxicity, waste, and infrastructure across the social sciences and humanities...There are range of ethnographic, digitial humanities, and feminist STS research projects housed in the kitchen, and a slate of ongoing events exploring what convivial scholarship can look like. This includes the "collabowrite" wander + wonder + write sessions, in which faculty and postdocs are offered protected time to think and write with colleagues."

TWIG Research Kitchen