Kelsey C. Jorgensen

Kelsey C. Jorgensen serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Kansas within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Her research program bridges biological anthropology, genomics, and environmental science to investigate human adaptations across diverse populations and their implications for modern health outcomes.

Dr. Jorgensen earned her BA in Anthropology from San Diego State University (2014), followed by an MSc in Forensic Anthropology from the University of Edinburgh (2015), and completed her PhD in Biological Anthropology at Wayne State University in 2021. Prior to her current faculty position, she held postdoctoral fellowships at UCLA (2022-2024) and Sandia National Laboratories (2024-2025).

Her research spans human genomic variation, evolutionary anthropology, molecular and computational biology, bioinformatics, genotype-phenotype relationships, diet and health connections, human osteology, environmental adaptations, human-environmental interactions, multispecies genetics, and prehistoric migration patterns. She employs a multidisciplinary approach combining genomic, physiological, and anthropological methods to bridge genotype-phenotype associations.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on high-altitude adaptations in Andean populations, genetic responses to dietary changes (particularly regarding potato starch digestion), and methodological advancements in osteoarchaeology. Her work connects molecular genetics with archaeological analysis to understand how environmental pressures have shaped human biology across generations.

Dr. Jorgensen is actively recruiting graduate students interested in human population genetics and microbiome research related to diet or metabolic disease, as well as those using multispecies genetics or environmental DNA approaches to explore ancient human-environment interactions.