Development of an alternative sample purification procedure using chromtaography techniques for compound specific radiocarbon analyses of archaeological bones (focusing on low collagen and contaminated samples).
Research on the extraction and characterisation of residues preserved in ceramic and metal containers using chromatographic and mass spectrometric techniques.
Study of organic residues on stone tools by GC/MS.
Study of natural organic colorants (dyes and pigments) in archaeological and ethnographic textiles using HPLC-DAD.
I joined the Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art in April 2014. My work is mainly focused on the development of new methods for the extraction, characterisation and/or purification of organic materials from different archaeological matrix using multi analytical approaches (e.g. FTIR, SEM, XRF, XRD, SFE, GC/MS, HPLC/DAD). One of my research priorities is improving the sample preparation for compound specific radiocarbon analyses.
Current Projects
"From natural resources to packaging, an interdisciplinary study of skincare products over time" funded by the AHRC. This project is in collaboration with Dr Szu Shen Wong from Keele University and Dr Jayne Draycott from Glasgow University (Principtal Investigator, 2016-2018). [http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/]
PalaeoChron Project "Precision dating of the Palaeolithic, chronological mapping of the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic of Eurasia" funded by an European Research Council Advanced Grant (Postdoctoral researcher, 2013-2018). [http://www.palaeochron.org/]
Current DPhil Students
Yushen He – The identification of natural organic components in the construction materials of ancient sites in China (2016-2019)
Luciana Carvalho – Identification of organic residues in corrosion layer of archaeological metal objects (2015-2018)
Eileen Jacob – Radiocarbon dating Late Pleistocene megafauna responses to humans and climate change (2015-2018)
External collaborations
MAFNEC (Mission archéologique franco-chinoise dans le Nord-Est de la Chine) between the CNRS, France and the Jilin University, China (Scientifc advisior, 2016-2018) [https://mafnec.hypotheses.org/]
Cayetano Heredia Universidad, Lima, Peru "Reconstrucción de las técnicas tintóreas precolombinas, en base a productos naturales, para su preservación, revalorización y uso en la artesanía e industria textil contemporánea" (Scientific advisor, 2014 - 2015)
