Jennifer A Raff

Jennifer A Raff is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Kansas, College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, and a 2024 Guggenheim Fellow. Her work bridges genetics, archaeology, and Indigenous studies to investigate the peopling of the Americas.

Education:

• Ph.D., Indiana University, 2008

Her research centers on Ancient DNA and Population Genetics to reconstruct Native American genetic diversity and migration patterns, while actively combating pseudoscientific narratives about race. She champions Science Literacy through public engagement and ethical frameworks for genomics research with Indigenous communities.

Her publications—including the New York Times-bestselling book Origin: A genetic history of the Americas—reveal trends in using genomic data to address archaeological questions about the Americas' settlement, with growing emphasis on ethical collaboration. Recent work increasingly focuses on community consultation standards and debunking genetic misinformation.

Award highlights:

• 2024 Guggenheim Fellow
• 2024 Human Biology Association Book Award for Origin
• 2023 Phi Beta Kappa Award in Science
• 2022 AAA W.W. Howells Book Award
• 2019/2022 KU Docking Faculty Scholar

Dr. Raff has secured over $900,000 in competitive funding, including NSF grants for Aleut genetic history ($450,000) and Southern Plains population studies ($460,000), plus National Geographic support. Her symposia on race and genetics (funded by AAPA/AAA) advance dialogue on communicating biological variation.

As a SING Consortium member, she co-develops ethical guidelines for Indigenous genomics research, emphasizing community sovereignty and decolonizing practices in paleogenomics.