In the Lab

Dr. Elizabeth (Ebeth) Sawchuk is a bioarchaeologist who studies modern human evolution and population history in Africa over the past 50,000 years. Her interests include how ancient peoples navigated issues like climate change, migration, economic and cultural change, and stress and disease, especially during the Holocene transition from hunting and gathering to food production. Her work integrates diverse lines of evidence from archaeology, skeletal biology, paleopathology, dental anthropology, and ancient DNA to understand how past peoples coped with major changes in their world and what lessons can be learned from their experiences.

Dr. Sawchuk has worked at field sites across eastern Africa and maintains an active research program in Kenya in collaboration with the Turkana Basin Institute and the National Museums of Kenya. Her research has been published in journals such as Antiquity, African Archaeological Review, the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Nature, Science, Science Advances, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and PLOS One (for more information, check out Dr. Sawchuk’s Google Scholar profile). Her work is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Wenner-Gren Foundation, the Turkana Basin Institute, and the National Geographic Society.

Dr. Sawchuk advocates for community-based and ethical research, especially when it comes to working with human remains. She is committed to fostering equitable partnerships between archaeologists, curators, and the communities with whom they work, as well as developing best practices for museums’ stewardship of and policies for research on human remains. At CMNH, Dr. Sawchuk is one of the curators who cares for the Hamann-Todd collection, and she leads the CMNH Human Ethics Task Force.

Dr. Sawchuk holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Toronto (2017) and Bachelor’s (2008) and Master’s (2012) degrees in anthropology from the University of Alberta. She is also an Adjunct Professor in Anthropology at Case Western Reserve University and the University of Alberta, a Research Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University, and a Research Associate with the Turkana Basin Institute, Kenya.

Research areas: migration, hunter-gatherers, early agriculture, ancient DNA

Dr. Caitlin Colleary is a vertebrate paleontologist with expertise in the molecules that preserve in fossilized bone. She is particularly interested in the question, "What is a fossil?" In the last few decades, it has become clear that this question is much more nuanced than previously considered, and that original biological information has the potential to preserve on long timescales.

Dr. Colleary explores how incorporating new techniques and technology can make it possible to uncover information previously inaccessible. She is especially interested in fossils that are not considered to be exceptionally preserved, such as bones and teeth, which are commonly found in the fossil record but may still contain biomolecules. She examines preserved proteins in fossil bone, contributing new data to the study of ancient animals. As a Museum scientist, she is building resources that will contribute to the advancement of molecular paleontology studies now and in the future.

Dr. Colleary started her academic journey at Los Angeles Valley College and transferred to UCLA, where she received a B.A. in anthropology. She received her M.Sc. in paleobiology from the University of Bristol and her Ph.D. in geosciences from Virginia Tech. Before joining the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in January 2020, she was the Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry Postdoctoral Fellow at the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute.

Research areas: proteomics, museomics, paleontology, taphonomy, fossilization

Dr. Hyoung Suk Suh is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU). Before joining CWRU in 2023, he was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at Columbia University, where he earned his Ph.D. (2022) as a Presidential Fellow, following his B.S. (2015) and M.S. (2017) from Yonsei University in South Korea.

Dr. Suh is actively involved in the scientific community, contributing to several committees within the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Engineering Mechanics Institute (EMI), including Computational Mechanics, Machine Learning in Mechanics, and Poromechanics Committees. He also participates in multiple U.S. Association for Computational Mechanics (USACM) Technical Thrust Areas, such as Data-Driven Modeling, Earth & Energy Systems, and Mathematical Methods in Computational Engineering & Sciences. In addition, he serves on the Editorial Board of Cold Regions Science and Technology.

Supported by the Army Research Office, the Office of Naval Research, and CWRU, Dr. Suh’s research group focuses on understanding how geological materials respond to combined effects of stress, fluid flow, heat, and chemical reactions. His group develops advanced mathematical and computational models to capture these complex interactions, integrating high-resolution imaging, sub-scale simulations, and machine learning. By combining these approaches, they aim to create predictive models that are both accurate and practical for real-world applications.

Zixi joined Dr. Suh’s research group in Fall 2024 as a Ph.D. student and is a recipient of the Swanger Graduate Fellowship from the Case School of Engineering. She earned her M.S. (2023) in Engineering Science and Mechanics at the Georgia Institute of Technology and her B.S. (2020) in Physics and Mathematics (double major) at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Mohammad joined Dr. Suh’s research group in Spring 2025 as a Ph.D. student. He earned his B.S. (2015) in Mining Engineering and an M.S. (2018) in Rock Mechanics at the University of Zanjan, Iran. He was recently nominated for the Saada Family Fellowship from the Case Alumni Foundation.

Dr. Gabriella Wolff is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Case Western Reserve University. She received her Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Arizona and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Washington. Her research interests include insect sensing and evolution of learning and memory brain structures in insects, crustaceans, and arachnids.

Dr. Nicole Burt is the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Senior Director of Curatorial and Research Affairs. In this role, Dr. Burt leads the formulation, coordination, and execution of all science-based research and initiatives at the Museum, guiding the organization’s curatorial vision and strategic direction in the Science and Conservation Division (Curatorial, Natural Areas, and Astronomy).

Dr. Burt works to deepen the impact of Museum research programs and enhance collection stewardship. A key part of this role involves fostering a culture of communication and collaboration across the organization, promoting excellence and innovation in natural history scholarship. Dr. Burt’s leadership is instrumental in strengthening partnerships with universities, research institutions, and government agencies, while supporting learning opportunities for aspiring scientists.

Dr. Burt first joined the Museum as its Curator of Human Health & Evolutionary Medicine in 2014. This role was part of the legacy of the Museum’s 2007 merger with HealthSpace Cleveland, which made human health a cornerstone of the Museum’s mission and programming. Dr. Burt facilitates the Museum’s ongoing commitment and connection to Cleveland’s medical and health communities. She is an advocate for fostering equitable partnerships between scientists, museums, and the communities with whom they work.

Dr. Burt is a biological anthropologist who works with both archaeological and modern human populations. Her research centers around the question, “What does it mean to be healthy?” and utilizes the best research and educational practices to promote understanding and empower the Museum community to take action. Her interdisciplinary approach combines many methods, including histology, stable isotope analysis, and even interviews, to explore health through the lens of evolutionary medicine. In addition to her anthropological research, Dr. Burt contributes to the literature on bioethics in museums, informal learning pedagogy, and creating evolutionary medicine-informed curricula for medical education. Dr. Burt earned her Ph.D. in biological anthropology from the University of Alberta, a master's degree in forensic science from Michigan State University, and a bachelor's degree in anthropology from Beloit College.

Research areas: Diet and health, food access, bioethics, early-childhood feeding practice, osteology, stable isotope reconstruction, methods testing, informal learning pedagogy

Kelly Tapager Fox is a Collections Manager at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. She has a master’s degree in bioarchaeology, specializing in human and animal skeletal remains, and has worked on archaeological sites on the East Coast and in England. She is currently overseeing the inventory and move of the Museum’s extensive archaeological collections.