Alexey Nikitin

Dr. Alexey Nikitin is an Associate Professor of Biology at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. He holds a Ph.D. in genetics from Bowling Green State University in the area of population and evolutionary genetics, and an M.S. (with Honors) degree in genetics from T. G. Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Dr. Nikitin’s research interests are in human population genetics and archeogenetics.

Dr. Nikitin’s research team recently conducted an extensive study of the maternal genetic lineages of the inhabitants of the highland region of the Carpathian Mountains.

Dr. Nikitin’s archeogenetic studies deal with the extraction and analysis of DNA from ancient human remains. One of the ancient population groups Dr. Nikitin is particularly interested in is the Trypillia-Cucuteni culture complex (TC). Human remains from this culture are a rarity, but they are quite common at one ritual site utilized by TC and other cultures for thousands of years. The site is called Verteba Cave.

Dr. Nikitin is currently conducting research at that site, as a member of a multi-national research team that includes archeologists, anthropologists, historians, and a geneticist. The aim of the Verteba Project is to better understand the origins of the Trypillian inhabitants, as well as their ritual practices and cultural traditions.