Paleoscientist | Archaeologist | Paleoecologist
Scientific Data Designer & Communicator

Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Department of Biology

Adjunct Lecturer Departments of Biology and Anthropology

Loyola University Chicago, USA

My work as a paleoscientist focuses on studying cultural and ecological dynamics through the lens of archaeology, paleoecology, geology, evolutionary biology and cartography to understand their deep connections to the earth’s biological history and our shared human past.

Degrees: Ph.D. (Max Planck Society for the Science of Human History & Universitat Tuebingen), M.A. & B.Sc. (University of Exeter)

Infographic of Contrebandiers Cave in Morocco, illustrating human activities from 120,000 to 90,000 years ago, including hunting, bone tool production and use. Shows first excavations in 1956, recent excavations from 2007-2011, and archaeological analysis using a microscope.

Our shared human past: paleoenvironments, hominin behavior, and human-environment dynamics

I extensively studied Pleistocene and Holocene paleoenvironments and hominin technological behavior in West Africa, Europe, North America, and South America. By analyzing lithic technological assemblages and human-environment relationships, I employed novel methods in excavation, survey, paleoecology, and scientific visualization. This work offers deeper insights into the dynamic interplay between ancient humans and their diverse environments across these regions.

Fieldwork and study locations: Central Italy (Castelli Romani, Rome, Monti Simbruini), Spain (Tarragona), United Kingdom, Brazil (Santa Catarina), Nigeria (Ondo State), Benin (Atakora), Ivory Coast (Abidjan), Senegal (Falèmè Valley).

Disciplines: Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, Bioinformatics, Archaeology, Geology, Genetics

Image credit: Hallett et al. 2021, iScience.

Red SUV parked near a white tent in a desert landscape with hills and clear blue sky.

150 thousand years of ecological and lacustrine community dynamics

As part of my Post-Doctoral research position (Dept. of Biology, Loyola University Chicago; funded by NSF), I study the biological processes that shaped the evolution, development, and interactions of lacustrine communities (fish, terrestrial vertebrate, diatoms) and their surrounding environments within the 10-million-year-old Truckee paleolake.

Fieldwork location: Northern Nevada (USA) high-altitude desert

Disciplines: , Ecology, Paleontology, Geology, Evolutionary Biology

Image credit: Jacopo Niccolò Cerasoni, 2024

Display of various stone arrowheads framed in light wood.

Flint knapping is the process of intentional chipping away material from stone in a carefully controller manner for functional and artistic purposes. I have over a decade of experience in the replication and production of knapped stone tools, teaching students and producing methodological publications.

Disciplines: Archaeology, Geology, Visual Arts

The art of making stone tools

Image credit: Jacopo Niccolò Cerasoni, 2023

Composite stratigraphy chart showing layers of sediment, isotope analysis, and taxonomic identifications in an archaeological trench. The chart includes data points for nine stratigraphic layers, isotope measurements, and categorized taxonomic identifications indicating forest, mixed, and savanna environments, along with material culture like pottery and groundstone axes.

Designing and communicating scientific concepts and data

A fundamental part of scientific research is its proper communication with multiple audiences. Through thoughtful, eye-catching design scientific data can be shared in a powerful yet simple way. I have spent years learning and honing my skills, developing multiple methods for the scientifically-accurate presentation of complex concepts and data systems.

Disciplines: Ecology, Paleontology, Geology, Biological Sciences, Archaeology, Graphic Design, Illustration, Visual Arts

Image credit: Cerasoni et al. 2023, iScience.