Faculty/Staff Directory
First Name
Alexey
Last Name
Nikitin
Email
nikitin@gvsu.edu
Title
Professor
Website
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3897-4607
Office Address
3315 Kindschi Hall of Science
Office Phone
616-331-2505
Areas of Expertise
Molecular Archaeology, Archaeogenetics, Human Genetics, Human Evolution
Professional Societies
European Association of Archaeologists
Courses Taught at GVSU
BIO 105 Environmental Science
BIO 120 General Biology I
BIO
328 Biomedical Ethics
BIO 355 Human Genetics
BIO 375
Genetics
BIO 411 Genetics of Development and Cancer
BIO 416
Advanced Genetics
BIO 495 Perspectives in Biology
BIO 580 Life
History Evolution
BIO 580 Population Genetics
CMB 250 Biotechnology
Research Interests
My primary research area is molecular archaeology, the study of archeological material using scientific techniques to reconstruct the human past using fine-scale molecular resolution. Our team uses uniparental (mtDNA and Y chromosome) markers as well as genome-wide analysis to trace population affinities of modern and prehistoric inhabitants of central and eastern Europe.
The current focus of our investigation is on prehistoric populations of arid grasslands (steppes) of the northern Black Sea region (the North Pontic Region, NPR) and adjacent forest-steppe areas. Besides being a diverse mosaic of cultural and genetic ancestries, the NPR is also a likely dispersal point for Indo-European languages as well as pastoralist economy in post-Neolithic Europe. Our team investigates genetic lineages and isotopic signatures of prehistoric inhabitants of the NPR to understand their genetic affinities and to examine various models of human population dispersals that accompanied the shift from the Stone to the Metal Ages in Eurasia.
Since 2005, the Molecular Archaeology Lab at GVSU obtained and processed hundreds of osteological and dental samples, mostly from Ukraine and Moldova, that span over 9000 years. We are currently working on putting all specimens in our care into one digital database which researchers all over the world can access as a point of reference. The physical collection of osteological and dental specimens is housed at the Molecular Archaeology Laboratory and Archive in 3360A KHS and an online version will soon be available.
Education
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA, PhD in
Biological Sciences, 1997.
Kiev State University, Kiev, Ukraine,
MS in Biology (Honors), 1992.
Select Publications
Nikitin AG, Videiko MY, Patterson N, Renson V, Reich DE. (2023) Interactions between Trypillian farmers and North Pontic forager-pastoralists in Eneolithic central Ukraine. PlosOne: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285449
Nikitin AG, Ivanova S. (2023) Long-distance exchanges along the Black Sea coast in the Eneolithic and the steppe genetic ancestry problem. Cambridge Open Engage, 10.33774/coe-2022-7m315
Nikitin AG, Ivanova S. (2022) The origins and chronology of the Usatove culture. Archaeologia Lituana 23: 148-156, https://doi.org/10.15388/ArchLit.2022.23.9
Nikitin AG, Ivanova S, Culleton B, Potekhina I, Reich DE. (2022) Radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis of human remains from the Usatovo culture site of Mayaki in Ukraine. SSRN Electronic Journal, https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4236123
Mattila T. et al. (2022) Genetic continuity, isolation and gene flow in Stone Age Eastern Europe. Research Square, https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1966812/v1
Lazaridis, I. et al. (2022) Ancient DNA from Mesopotamia suggests distinct Pre-Pottery and Pottery Neolithic migrations into Anatolia. Science 377 (6609), doi/10.1126/science.abq0762
Lazaridis, I. et al. (2022) The genetic history of the Southern Arc: a bridge between West Asia and Europe. Science 377 (6609), doi/10.1126/science.abm4247
Lazaridis, I. et al. (2022). A genetic probe into the ancient and medieval history of Southern Europe and West Asia. Science 377 (6609), doi/10.1126/science.abq0755
Nikitin AG, Stadler P, Kotova N, Teschler-Nicola M, Price TD, Hoover J, Kennett D, Lazaridis I, Rohland N, Lipson M, & Reich D. (2019) Interactions between earliest Linearbandkeramik farmers and central European hunter gatherers at the dawn of European Neolithization. Scientific Reports 9(1):19544, doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-56029-2
Krzewinska M. et al. (2018) Ancient genomes suggest the eastern Pontic-Caspian steppe as the source of western Iron Age Nomads. Science Advances 4 (10): eaat4457, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aat4457
Mathieson I. et al. (2018) The Genomic History Of Southeastern Europe. Nature 555: 197-203, doi:10.1038/nature25778.
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