Katherine L. Nichols is a doctoral candidate at Simon Fraser University (SFU). Her
research applies forensic search and recovery methods to investigate missing children at
Indian residential schools (IRS) in Canada. She worked in partnership with Sioux Valley
Dakota Nation (SVDN) for her MA thesis at the University of Manitoba, which incorporated
archival research, participant interviews and non-invasive field survey methods to identify
potential unmarked graves and burial grounds at the Brandon IRS. Throughout her doctoral
program, she has helped build a multidisciplinary team of faculty and students from six
universities in Canada. She is a graduate fellow in SFU’s Community-Engaged Research
Initiative (CERi) and is affiliated with SFU’s Centre for Forensic Research. In addition to
these responsibilities, she is the project manager for SVDN’s Missing Children Investigation
and works with SVDN leadership and Elder committee to engage and collaborate with
survivors, affected families, Indigenous Nations and political organizations.