PI-Invest Cont Ramon y Cajal
963864089 (D)
Degree in History (2010, Univ. of Valencia), Master's in Human Biology (2011, Univ. de Barcelona /Univ. Autónoma de Barcelona), and PhD in Prehistory (cum laude, international doctor – 2016, Univ. de Barcelona). Her PhD, supervised by Rosa M. Albert and Dan Cabanes, focused on the study of the past use of plants at the South African Middle Stone Age archaeological site of Pinnacle Point, and developing a phytolith reference collection of modern soils and plants for comparative studies. She has since been awarded postdoctoral fellowships from the South African DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Palaeosciences (2017-2019) and the University Research Council (2019-2021), both at the Univ. of the Witwatersrand, and a Beatriu de Pinós at the University of Barcelona, funded by the Secretariat of Universities and Research of the Generalitat de Catalunya. She is currently a Ramón y Cajal Research Fellow at the Department of Prehistory, Archaeology and Ancient History of the University of Valencia, and a Research Associate at the African Centre for Coastal Palaeosciences of the Nelson Mandela University.
Her research experience combines various microarchaeological techniques such as phytoliths and other bio-mineral microremains and infrared spectroscopy to better understand past human behaviours related to plant foraging and exploitation strategies, Pleistocene climatic conditions and site taphonomy. Throughout her career, she has conducted extensive archaeological and botanical fieldwork and laboratory work using high-resolution techniques including FTIR and optical and scanning electron microscopy. More recently, she has received training in organic geochemistry, including conducting compound-specific isotope analysis to provide insights into palaeovegetation and palaeoclimate, and hydrological (rainfall) changes from the south coast of South Africa.
She has established strong collaborations with national (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades) and international (National Research Foundations-South Africa, National Science Foundation-USA, Australian Research Council, European Research Council) projects leading the analysis of phytoliths from Pleistocene archaeological sites across South Africa and Spain. She also established her research projects, funded by organizations such as the Palaeontological Scientific Trust and The Leakey Foundation, focusing on expanding the phytolith reference collection in South Africa and studying pyrotechnology through ethnographic investigation and experimental archaeology
She is also actively involved in excavations at various archaeological sites (Cova de les Cendres, Abric de la Quebrada, Cova Negra and Cova del Gegant in Spain; and Pinnacle Point, Border Cave, Knysna Eastern Heads 1, Elandsfontein, Boomplaas, Umhlatuzana and Mwulu’s Cave in South Africa), including Waterfall Bluff where she is co-Principal Investigator of a National Science Foundation-USA grant and co-director of field excavations.
She has also been involved in community science and outreach initiatives, creating educational content through comics and other media (see https://p5project.org/public-outreach/) to promote archaeology topics and career options among young South Africans in rural areas.
She has lectured internationally and nationally on palaeoecology and archaeology to graduate and undergraduate students, supervised Honours and Master's projects, and served as an external examiner for honours and master's thesis. Currently, she co-supervises three master’s students from the Nelson Mandela University, the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of Barcelona.