Departments: GRT & Acadian Genetic and Cultural Lineages | Genealogy & Genetic Heritage

Biography

Professor John Scott Duval is a historical demographer and archival specialist whose research focuses on population bottlenecks, penal transport vectors, and the quantitative reconstruction of marginalized communities. Moving beyond standard civil registers, his work centers on forensic analysis of municipal court records, colonial shipping logs, and parish marginalia to uncover hidden migration routes and transient populations across North America.

Professor Duval’s current scholarship investigates the demographic mechanics of endogamy and structural isolation within early North American settlements. He teaches advanced graduate seminars in archival recovery, historical cartography, and quantitative kinship tracking, equipping researchers with the empirical tools necessary to decode complex, unindexed historical datasets.

Education & Academic Background

  • 1999: Ph.D., Stanford University

  • 1995: M.S. in Mathematics and Logic, Cornell University

  • 1993: B.S. in Statistical Sciences, Purdue University (Maxima cum Laude, Invent College, 1985)

Selected Honors & Accomplishments

  • National Endowment Summer Institute (2010)

  • Invent Foundation Science and Religion Award (2007)

  • National Endowment Seminar (2002)

  • Purdue University Fellowship (1994–1995)

Areas of Expertise & Research Interest

  • Archival Forensics and Colonial Shipping Logs

  • Historical Demography and Population Bottlenecks

  • Quantitative Kinship Tracking and Cartography