Robert M. Yohe, PhD

Archaeologist & Bioarchaeologist – Ancient Egypt, Human Remains & Archaeological Science

Robert M. Yohe II, PhD, is an archaeologist and Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at California State University, Bakersfield. He earned his B.A. in Anthropology from California State University, San Bernardino, followed by an M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of California, Riverside. Before joining the CSUB faculty in 1999, Dr. Yohe served as Idaho State Archaeologist, Director of the Archaeological Survey of Idaho, Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, and Interim State Historic Preservation Officer. During his academic career, he also directed the Laboratory of Archaeological Sciences at CSUB. With more than four decades of archaeological research experience, Dr. Yohe’s expertise includes prehistoric archaeology, bioarchaeology, forensic anthropology, human skeletal remains, Egyptian mummies, lithic technology, zooarchaeology, and archaeological science. He is an internationally recognized pioneer in immunological protein-residue analysis, applying scientific techniques to stone artifacts, ceramics, soils, and human remains. His fieldwork has extended across western North America and Middle Egypt, where he directed student research involving ancient mummies, skeletal remains, and associated archaeological materials. Dr. Yohe has produced nearly 100 peer-reviewed publications and is co-author of the widely used textbook Archaeology: The Science of the Human Past. His research and teaching have addressed subjects ranging from Paleoindian archaeology and early hunting technology to ancient Egyptian burial practices, forensic anthropology, and the scientific analysis of archaeological artifacts. His work in Egyptian bioarchaeology was also featured in an episode of The Bone Detective on the Discovery Channel. He is currently completing a major archaeological monograph with a colleague for the American Museum of Natural History’s Anthropological Papers series. Most recently, Dr. Yohe became President of the Board of Directors of the Buena Vista Museum of Natural History and Science in Bakersfield, California. The museum preserves and interprets collections spanning archaeology, anthropology, biology, geology, paleontology, and the natural history of California and the surrounding region.

Elizabeth Weiss, PhD

Physical Anthropologist & Bioarchaeologist - Human Osteology, Skeletal Remains & Paleopathology

Elizabeth Weiss, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, holds a B.A. in Anthropology from University of California, Santa Cruz; an M.A. in anthropology from Sacramento State University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Arkansas in Environmental Dynamics (an interdisciplinary program involving anthropology and the geosciences). She was a post-doctoral research associate at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Elizabeth was hired at San José State University, as a professor of anthropology curating the largest single-site prehistoric skeletal collection west of the Mississippi. Elizabeth is the author, with James W. Springer, of the controversial and provocative book "Repatriation and Erasing the Past" (University of Florida Press, 2020), which takes a critical look at repatriation laws and the ideology behind these laws. Her other books include "On the Warpath: My Battles with Indians, Pretendians, and Woke Warriors” (Academica Press, 2024), "Reading the Bones: Activity, Biology, and Culture" (University Press of Florida, 2017), and "Paleopathology in Perspective: Bone Health and Disease through Time" (Rowman and Littlefield, 2014). She has also written academic articles on topics ranging from looking at 2-million-year-old early humans to determining ways forensic anthropologists may estimate victim age, to cranial analyses of biological continuity, to reconstructing past lifestyles – including health, violence, and activity patterns – in pre-contact Californian Indians. Elizabeth has been featured in the New York Times, Science, USA Today, the Washington Examiner, and the National Post. She is currently a National Association of Scholars Board Member and a Heterodox Senior Fellow.

Stephen Fratpietro, M.Sc

Forensic DNA Analyst & Technical Manager – Ancient DNA, Human Remains & Forensic Identification

Stephen Fratpietro, M.Sc., is a forensic DNA analyst and Technical Manager of Lakehead University’s Paleo-DNA Laboratory in Thunder Bay, Ontario. A Lakehead University alumnus, he holds a B.Sc. in Biology and Chemistry, a B.Ed. specializing in Chemistry and Biology, and an M.Sc. in Chemistry. He joined Lakehead University in 2001 and has since played a central role in the operation and continued development of its specialized ancient and degraded DNA laboratory. Fratpietro’s expertise includes ancient DNA, forensic human identification, degraded biological material, human skeletal remains, mummified tissue, mitochondrial and nuclear DNA analysis, polymerase chain reaction amplification, and genetic sequencing. As Technical Manager, he coordinates the laboratory’s analytical services, evaluates DNA extraction and purification methods, oversees technical problem-solving and personnel training, and helps maintain the laboratory’s equipment, safety procedures, and quality standards. His work has contributed to archaeological investigations, historic identifications, cold cases, and scientific research involving human and animal remains. Lakehead’s Paleo-DNA team has successfully recovered DNA from exceptionally challenging material, including ancient skeletal remains and a 2,000-year-old mummified human hand. Fratpietro also assisted with the Vancouver Police Department’s Babes in the Woods investigation and contributed to the positive DNA identification of John Gregory and Captain James Fitzjames, members of Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated 1845 Northwest Passage expedition. Fratpietro is a co-author of DNA Analysis of Human Skeletal Remains from the 1845 Franklin Expedition, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. His additional research has included genetic studies of extinct woolly mammoths, ancient and forensic mitochondrial DNA, and the recovery of genetic information from severely degraded biological samples.

Roya Ghahreman, PhD

Atmospheric Physicist & Scientific Analyst – Scientific Report Review, Research Methodology & Technical Data Interpretation

Roya Ghahreman, PhD, is an atmospheric physicist and scientist with extensive experience in climate change research, air quality, atmospheric processes, aerosols, clouds, and the Arctic environment. She also teaches physics at the university level, reflecting her enduring interest in physics and in sharing scientific knowledge. Alongside her scientific career, Roya has a lifelong fascination with history, artifacts, and objects from different eras and cultures, with a particular appreciation for the stories, craftsmanship, and knowledge reflected in objects from the past.