Experience

  1. Postdoctoral Researcher

    Department of Geology & Geophysics, University of Utah, USA
    • StalFire project exploring joint hydroclimate and wildfire histories in California
    • Bayesian proxy system modeling of climate and fire proxies in karst systems
    • quantitative climate and wildfire reconstruction
    • polycyclic aromatic carbon (PAH) emission and transport modelling

  2. German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina Postdoctoral Fellowship

    IUBO-AG, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
    • Developing a multi-proxy stable isotope approach to demonstrating the climatic preferences of site-use of Late Pleistocene humans
    • lipid biomarker analyses of archaeological sediments
    • reconstructing Late Pleistocene climates using n-alkane compound-specific isotope analysis
    • developing lipid biomarker extraction methods for resin-impregnated sediment blocks
    • leading of sediment sampling field campaigns

  3. Postdoctoral Researcher

    Department of Human Evolution, Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
    • Exploring the climatic resilience of late Neanderthals and early groups of Homo sapiens in Eurasia
    • Reconstructing site specific palaeoclimate and –environment at Pleistocene archaeological sites using isotope geochemistry proxies (O,C,N,Sr,Zn) applied to faunal remains
    • Laboratory managment of the light stable isotope mass spectrometry facility including day-to-day managment of three technicians

Education

  1. PhD Archaeology

    Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany & University of Aberdeen, UK
    Thesis: Exploring Late Pleistocene intra- and inter-site climate variability and seasonality using isotope zooarchaeology

  2. MA Prehistoric and Historic Archaeology

    Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany
    Thesis: Effects of Heating and Fat Separation on δ13C of Single Fatty Acids in Milk: Potential Uses for the Detection of Pasteurization in Prehistoric Pottery

  3. BSc Prehistoric and Historic Archaeology (major) & Chemistry (minor)

    Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany
    Thesis: Herd Mobility in Xiongnu Funerary Contexts Assessed by Stable Isotope Analysis of Sheep Tooth Enamel from Baga Gazaryn Chuluu, Mongolia
Skills
Technical Skills
R Scientific Programming

10 years of experience with R coding

Jags & Stan Bayesian Modelling

proxy system modelling, hierarchical forward models, joint Bayesian inversion

Analytical Isotope Geochemistry

8 years experience with IRMS use and maintenance, Ophos, Ocarb, C, N, S, Sr isotope preparation of bioapatite, bone collagen, plants

Lipid Biomarker Analysis

Extraction, characterization (GC-MS), and stable isotope analyses of plant wax biomarkers in sediments

Awards & Funding
Irene Levi-Sala CARE Archaeological Foundation Research Grant
Irene Levi-Sala CARE Archaeological Foundation ∙ May 2024
“Site-specific hydroclimatic and palaeoenvironmental markers at B60, an Upper Paleolithic site in the lower Besor Basin” (5,000 $). Co-PI with Mae Goder-Goldberger
German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina Postdoctoral Fellowship
German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina ∙ February 2022
“Developing a multi-proxy stable isotope approach to demonstrating the climatic preferences of site-use of Late Pleistocene humans” (77,000 $)
German National Academic Foundation scholarship
German National Academic Foundation (Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes) ∙ October 2011
Undergraduate and Masters scholarship (20,000 $)
Languages
100%
English
100%
German
50%
Spanish
20%
French