Lisa Janz, University of Toronto

Research

hunter-gatherers subsistence settlement patterns resource management

Latest papers

Ancient Mongolian aurochs and cattle genomes reveal population shifts associated with the expansion of herding.
iScience · 2026 · senior author
Multiproxy stable isotope analysis provides insights into diet, animal management, and residential mobility in Old Bara, a metropolitan suburb of the Oyo Empire, West Africa.
PloS one · 2026
Ancient Mongolian aurochs genomes reveal sustained introgression and management in East Asia.
bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2023 · senior author

All 4 publications

Latest funding

Frontiers in Sedentism and Domestication
SSHRC · 2020 · Principal investigator
$100,634
Frontiers in Sedentism and Domestication
SSHRC · 2020 · Principal investigator
$298,887
Interaction in the Circumpolar Pacific Sphere: 5000 BC to 1 AD
SSHRC · 2018 · Principal investigator
$12,300

All 4 grants and awards

4 publications.

01

Ancient Mongolian aurochs and cattle genomes reveal population shifts associated with the expansion of herding.

Brunson K, Witt KE, Monge S, Williams S, Singleton R, Peede D, Odsuren D, Bukhchuluun D, Cameron A, Szpak P, Amartuvshin C, Wright J, Pleuger S, Erdene M, Tumen D, Rogers L, Khatanbaatar D, Wilson V, Altanbayar Z, Molor A, Batdalai B, Galdan G, Janz L

iScience2026Senior author

DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.117409 PMID: 42733888

02

Multiproxy stable isotope analysis provides insights into diet, animal management, and residential mobility in Old Bara, a metropolitan suburb of the Oyo Empire, West Africa.

Akogun MO, Szpak P, Oelze VM, Leishman K, Hilsden J, Speller C, Janz L, Aleru JO, Ogundiran A

PloS one2026

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0345981 PMID: 41941522

03

Ancient Mongolian aurochs genomes reveal sustained introgression and management in East Asia.

Brunson K, Witt KE, Monge S, Williams S, Peede D, Odsuren D, Bukhchuluun D, Cameron A, Szpak P, Amartuvshin C, Honeychurch W, Wright J, Pleuger S, Erdene M, Tumen D, Rogers L, Khatanbaatar D, Batdalai B, Galdan G, Janz L

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology2023Senior author

DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.10.552443 PMID: 37609302

04

Zaraa Uul: An archaeological record of Pleistocene-Holocene palaeoecology in the Gobi Desert.

Janz L, Rosen AM, Bukhchuluun D, Odsuren D

PloS one2021First author

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0249848 PMID: 33831092

Frontiers in Sedentism and Domestication

Principal investigatorSSHRC2020Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Janz, Lisa

Keywords: hunter-gatherers; subsistence; settlement patterns; resource management

$100,634

Frontiers in Sedentism and Domestication

Principal investigatorSSHRC2020Insight Grants

Principal investigators: Janz, Lisa

Keywords: hunter-gatherers; subsistence; settlement patterns; resource management

$298,887

Interaction in the Circumpolar Pacific Sphere: 5000 BC to 1 AD

Principal investigatorSSHRC2018Connection Grants

Principal investigators: Janz, Lisa

Keywords: Arctic; East Asia; archaeology; interaction; hunter-gatherers

$12,300

Diet Breadth and Landscape Ecology in Arid Northeast Asia

Principal investigatorSSHRC2016Insight Development Grant

Principal investigators: Janz, Lisa

Keywords: (1) hunter-gatherers; (2) human ecology; (3) subsistence; (4) settlement patterns; (5) archaeology; (6) palaeoenvironment; (7) pastoralism

$70,590

From CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC funding decisions: CIHR since 2008, NSERC since 1991 and SSHRC since 1998, including their latest published competition results.

Frequent collaborators

Hunters and Gatherers
Archaeology
Department of Anthropology

Co-authors at University of Toronto, colored by department. Thicker lines mean more shared papers; select anyone to open their profile and their own map.

Paul Szpak

Archaeology

3 shared papers, latest 2026

Camilla Speller

Department of Anthropology

1 shared papers, latest 2026

Write to this professor

A short, specific email works best. This draft uses one of their recent papers; replace the parts in brackets with your own details before sending.

Applying for

Paper to mentionMention their SSHRC grant from 2020

Subject: Prospective PhD student: hunter-gatherers Dear Professor Janz, My name is [your name], and I am a [your current degree or role] at [your institution]. I am applying for a PhD position starting in [term and year]. I read your paper "Ancient Mongolian aurochs and cattle genomes reveal population shifts associated with the expansion of herding." (2026), and it connects closely to my own work on [your research topic]. [One or two sentences on what you did and what you learned.] I also saw your SSHRC-funded project "Frontiers in Sedentism and Domestication" (2020), and I would be glad to contribute to work in that direction. Are you accepting new PhD students for [term and year]? I have attached my CV and transcripts, and I would be glad to talk at a time that suits you. Thank you for your time. Kind regards, [your name]