Janelle Pridoehl
Anthropology M.Sc. Student (2024-)
Anthropology B.Sc. Student (2023-24)
Project: Exploring the Geographic Origins of Camelid Fibre Textiles from Northern Peru using Sulfur Isotopes
Bio
The 2025/26 academic year represents Janelle's 3rd year in the TEAL lab! That said, the beginning of her love for old things started in early childhood. She grew up in London, Ontario, spending her birthdays at archaeological museums and her free time collecting super awesome fossils- which she will enthusiastically show you if you ask. Her passion for the past was then sparked anew after taking two archaeological science classes during her undergraduate degree and attending the Trent field school in Belize.
These days, when she is not taking on or helping out with different projects in the lab, you can still catch her expanding on her fossil collection and staying active by hiking outdoors on her favourite hiking trail: “Track and Tower” in Algonquin Park.
Being a well-rounded overachiever with many things on the go, Janelle regularly requires a sweet treat to stay functioning at such a high level. While this need can be temporarily filled by the on-campus Starbucks, her final boss treat choice is of course the legendary Bulk Barn selection. Her drive is even further fueled by the inspiration she draws from her younger sister, one of her best friends and strongest support systems.
Her current goals are to complete her master's thesis, pursue more field work, and potentially continue conducting archaeological research. In addition to her core MSc thesis research, Janelle is also working on a project involving exploring new methods for isolating keratin for isotopic analysis and continues to expand on her undergraduate thesis work involving isotopic analysis of ancient camelid remains from the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.
TEAL Awards and Honours
🏆 2024 Best CN Analytical Session (shared with Moses Akogun)
🏆 2024 Best CN Sample Replciate (shared with 2024/25 Grad Class)
🏆 2024 Lowest δ13C Value (shared with 2024/25 Grad Class)
🥇 2025 Lab Olympics Gold Medal: Spigot Control
🥈 2025 Lab Olympics Silver Medal: Reagent Weighing