Christina Nicholas

Christina Nicholas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) College of Dentistry. She holds a secondary affiliation with UIC's Department of Anthropology. Her research integrates biological anthropology with clinical dentistry to study craniofacial growth and development, focusing on genetic and environmental influences, particularly childhood obesity.

• PhD in Biological Anthropology (University of Iowa, 2015)
• Postdoctoral Fellow (Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research, 2015-2016)

Research interests include:

• Craniofacial ontogeny and variation
• Impact of obesity on dental development
• Forensic anthropology applications
• 3D imaging and geometric morphometrics

Her lab employs advanced methodologies such as CT scan analysis, 3D modeling (using 3D Slicer, ImageJ, R), and deep phenotyping. Current projects include a NIJ-funded initiative to improve dental age estimation formulae. Dr. Nicholas also teaches Craniofacial Anomalies, Growth & Development, and Dental Anthropology courses.