Contact Information
Davenport Hall, 209J
607 S Mathews Ave.
M/C 148
Urbana, IL 61801
Office Hours
Research Interests
Paleoanthropology, Southeast Asia, Late Pleistocene human evolution; Functional anatomy, postcranial biomechanics; Virtual reality, educational technology
As a National Geographic Explorer, Laura's research focuses on the evolution of our species, Homo sapiens, as a background to understanding recent human diversity. She has a geographic focus in Southeast Asia and co-directs ongoing field research in northern Laos. Her team's excavations have recovered early modern humans dating back 70,000 years at Tam Pa Ling, Laos. More recently, her team's research at Tam Ngu Hao 2 (Cobra Cave), Laos, recovered the first evidence of the elusive Denisovan population in Southeast Asia.
In addition to ongoing excavations in Southeast Asia, Laura's research explores virtual reality and technology in education to make human prehistory and archaeological field work accessible to more students.
Laura splits her time between Anthropology and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine where she is the Director of Anatomy. She teaches human anatomy to first and second year medical students and works with advanced medical students on research to answer clinical and anatomical questions and explore innovative approaches to health care.
Education
Ph.D., Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis, 2005
M.A., Anthropology, Washington University, St. Louis, 2001
B.S., Biological Anthropology & Anatomy, Duke University, 1998
Grants
2023-2024 Leakey Foundation: The Denisovans and their past environment in mainland Southeast Asia: Tam Ngu Hao 2 cave, Laos (PI: Demeter, co-PI: Shackelford)
2020-2023 NSF #2021460: IUSE: Game-based learning in virtual reality to engage college students using wheelchairs: Test case for field training in archaeology.
2018-2020 National Geographic: Quest for human origins in mainland Southeast Asia: Tam Pa Ling cave, Laos
2017-2019 Wenner-Gren: Early modern human evolution and dispersal in mainland Southeast Asia at Tam Pa Ling cave, Laos (PI: Demeter, co-PI: Shackelford)
2011 Hewlett Foundation International Research Grant
2007-2008 L.S.B. Leakey Foundation. Paleoanthropology in mainland Southeast Asia; Excavations at Tam Hang, Laos
2003-04 National Science Foundation BCS-0314002: Doctoral Dissertation Grant
2003 Lambda Alpha Research Grant
2003 AMNH Collection Study Grant
2002 Sigma Xi Research Grant
Internal grants:
2019 ILLINOIS SBSRI. Life history and hormones: mechanisms linking childhood experiences to women's health (Clancy K, Shackelford L, Lara-Cinisomo S)
2016 Illinois Learning Sciences Design Initiative Phase II Grant. Digital Archaeology: Virtual reality in social science education.
2015 Illinois Learning Sciences Design Initiative Seed Funding. Teaching and Learning in the three-dimensional world (Aldridge B, Shackelford LL, Malnar J, Craig AB, Helms K, Sinn-Hanlon J, Edwards K, and del Cristo MM)
2013 UIUC Scholars' travel Award
2012 Arnold O. Beckman Research Award, UIUC Research Board
2011 UIUC Scholars' Travel Award (#12376)
2009 UIUC Research Board. Pleistocene human evolution in mainland Southeast Asia.
2007 UIUC Research Board. Paleoanthropology in mainland Southeast Asia: Excavation at Tam Hang, Laos
Courses Taught
Additional Campus Affiliations
Professor, Biomedical and Translational Sciences
Director, Foundational Science Education, Carle Illinois College of Medicine
Affiliate, Center for Social & Behavioral Science
External Links
Recent Publications
McAllister-Hayward, M. S., Blyth, A. J., McInerney, F. A., Holman, A. I., Grice, K., Tyler, J. J., Westaway, K. W., Joannes-Boyau, R., Boualaphane, S., Bourgon, N., Dunn, T. E., Frangeul, S., Luangkhoth, T., Ponche, J. L., Sichanthongtip, P., Souksavatdy, V., Suzzoni, E., Zachwieja, A., Zanolli, C., ... Morley, M. W. (2024). Reconstructing the environmental conditions experienced by early modern humans at Tam Pà Ling (northeast Laos) using higher plant wax biomarkers. Quaternary Science Reviews, 325, Article 108471. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108471
Bacon, A. M., Bourgon, N., Dufour, E., Demeter, F., Zanolli, C., Westaway, K. E., Joannes-Boyau, R., Duringer, P., Ponche, J. L., Morley, M. W., Suzzoni, E., Frangeul, S., Boesch, Q., Antoine, P. O., Boualaphane, S., Sichanthongtip, P., Sihanam, D., Huong, N. T. M., Tuan, N. A., ... Hublin, J. J. (2023). Palaeoenvironments and hominin evolutionary dynamics in southeast Asia. Scientific reports, 13(1), Article 16165. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-43011-2
Freidline, S. E., Westaway, K. E., Joannes-Boyau, R., Duringer, P., Ponche, J. L., Morley, M. W., Hernandez, V. C., McAllister-Hayward, M. S., McColl, H., Zanolli, C., Gunz, P., Bergmann, I., Sichanthongtip, P., Sihanam, D., Boualaphane, S., Luangkhoth, T., Souksavatdy, V., Dosseto, A., Boesch, Q., ... Demeter, F. (2023). Early presence of Homo sapiens in Southeast Asia by 86–68 kyr at Tam Pà Ling, Northern Laos. Nature communications, 14(1), Article 3193. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38715-y
Demeter, F., Zanolli, C., Westaway, K. E., Joannes-Boyau, R., Duringer, P., Morley, M. W., Welker, F., Rüther, P. L., Skinner, M. M., McColl, H., Gaunitz, C., Vinner, L., Dunn, T. E., Olsen, J. V., Sikora, M., Ponche, J. L., Suzzoni, E., Frangeul, S., Boesch, Q., ... Shackelford, L. (2022). A Middle Pleistocene Denisovan molar from the Annamite Chain of northern Laos. Nature communications, 13(1), Article 2557. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-29923-z
Yarlagadda, K., Zachwieja, A. J., de Flamingh, A., Phungviwatnikul, T., Rivera-Colón, A. G., Roseman, C., Shackelford, L., Swanson, K. S., & Malhi, R. S. (2022). Geographically diverse canid sampling provides novel insights into pre-industrial microbiomes. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 289(1974), Article 20220052. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.0052
