Tropical Paleoecology and Isotope Geochemistry Lab

Our research is dedicated to understanding human-environment interaction through the lens of environmental archaeology and human ecology to understand how past societies adapted to changing environments and how their behavior in turn impacted ecologies worldwide.

What we do

Most of our projects have major isotopic component or include radiocarbon dating of plant, animal, and human tissues. Ongoing projects focus on the reconstruction of subsistence practices, migration patterns, paleoenvironments, and exploring human-animal relationships in Mesoamerica and other world regions.

PhD students are welcome to design studies related to the lab’s current projects, or to develop new programs of research with environmental archaeology or isotopic components. Currently there are opportunities in the lab for graduate students that are especially interested in questions about diet and ecological change and commensal relationships between people and other animals in Mesoamerica.

Prospective graduate students may apply through the Department of Anthropology graduate program. We also we also welcome undergraduate students to develop projects and gain experience in isotope geochemistry in archaeology. Learn more about joining the lab here.

Facilities

The lab focuses on stable isotope preparation and analysis of archaeological and modern specimens including bone, teeth, shells, and plants to measure carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), sulfur (δ34S), oxygen (δ18O), and strontium (87Sr/86Sr) isotopes. We also specialize in sample preparation of carbonized plants, bone, and other organics for radiocarbon dating.

Lab facilities include both dry- and wet-lab areas for sample storage and preparation with standard laboratory equipment including a fume hood, Millipore NanoPure water purifier, drying oven, freezer, and balances. Key equipment for isotope and radiocarbon sample prep includes a Sourvall ST8 centrifuge, Labconco lyophilizer, Barnstead programmable muffle furnace, and a vacuum line for sealing radiocarbon samples prior to combustion (coming 2023). Other key infrastructure in the Pitt Anthropology department related to our research includes comparative zooarchaeological collections and Niton portable x-ray fluorescence instrument.

Dr. Claire Ebert , Assistant Professor of Anthropology

Director, Tropical Paleoecology and Isotope Geochemistry Lab

Claire Ebert is an environmental archaeologist and her work focuses primarily on early farming communities in Mesoamerica. She is particularly interested in understanding the role of agriculture resilience to changing ecological, climatic, and social conditions during the Archaic and Formative periods in the Maya region. You can read more about her ongoing research projects here.

Graduate Students

  • Olivia Ellis, PhD Student

    Olivia is an archaeology PhD student at Pitt, conducting research with the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance (BVAR) Project. She is interested in studying political structure, community, and the role of foodways and ecology on identity and social dynamics in Classic Maya society.

  • Emma Messinger, PhD Student

    Emma is working with the Belize Valley Archaeological Reconnaissance (BVAR) Project to study Maya human-plant interactions during key environmental shifts. She uses paleoethnobotany and stable isotopes to learn about the role of plants in dietary and ritual changes during the Maya collapse and into the Colonial period.

  • Casandra Paiz, PhD Student

    Casandra’s primary interests revolve around human-environmental interactions on a macro scale. Her focus is on past and present indigenous responses to climate change in Central America from the Preclassic to modern times. She uses a combination of archaeological and cultural methods to explore community landscape management techniques.

  • Nick Suarez, PhD Student

    Nick is a graduate student interested in the archaeology of human-environmental interactions and how they influence - and have been influenced by - human conflict. With data science skills gained from a background in physics, he enjoys analysis and fieldwork in equal measures. When not doing research, he can be found hiking, rock climbing, and engaging in environmental justice advocacy.

  • Ian Roa, PhD Student

    Ian's dissertation research is focused on human-animal relationships in ritual ceremonies. He is interested in learning about the life histories of ritually important animals through stable isotope analysis, including documenting their geographic origin and diet. His research is based across four ancient Maya sites in western Belize, seeking to understand if the ceremonial use of specific species correlates with ecological changes and social pressures over time. 

  • Gretchen Zoeller, PhD Student

    Gretchen collaborates with the Archaeological Expedition at Nuri and the National Corporation for Antiquities and Museums (Sudan) to study questions related to expressions of identity and the biocultural effects of sociopolitical change in the Nile River Valley. Her research aims to understand entanglements in the ancient past, including effects on identity, social relations, and health using bioarchaeological methods and isotopic analysis, to explore variations in diet, migrations, and health as part of a unique record of life trajectories.

Associated and Former Lab Members