Professor of Scientific and Prehistoric Archaeology, AWRC Steering Committee
My research seeks to improve our understanding of the transition from hunting and gathering to farming in Western Europe, where the process is one of spread rather than origins. I use radiocarbon dating and stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis (following the adage that “you are what you eat”) to investigate diet change across this transition. More recently, I have applied some of these same methods to examining past human-environment interactions during periods of climate change, and following the initial colonisation of small islands. Other research strands involve using skeletal evidence for trauma to document and understand violence in prehistory, and using strontium isotope analysis to investigate past mobility and landscape use. I have been involved in research projects in western Europe, the Caribbean, Chile, Japan, and Siberia.
