Research Statement

My work focuses on archaeometry, or the application of analytical and nuclear analysis techniques to archaeological questions. Archaeometric multidisciplinary investigations center around understanding the chemical composition of artifacts for several objectives:

  • to understand ancient material technologies
  • to elucidate ancient economies and trade routes
  • to discover artifact provenance

Through my experience in radioanalytical chemistry, I have learned how to apply the appropriate analytical methodology to a given archaeometric question, as well as to devise innovative applications of the techniques.

In my research, I utilize several powerful trace elemental and spectroscopic analytical techniques such as:

  • neutron activation analysis (NAA)
  • x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF)
  • laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS)
  • proton induced x-ray emission (PIXE)
  • Raman spectroscopy

These methods provide several advantages for analyzing complicated, ancient, human-made materials such as ceramics, glass, pigments and metals. Such artifacts present a complicated set of analytical concerns ranging from the sample size to not destroying an artifact. Other typical analytical methods are not appropriate or applicable in these cases.

Currently I am working on methods to “fingerprint” ochre from geological sources and Aboriginal artifacts in Australia.  This project is jointly directed by staff from Flinders University, South Australian Museum and ARTLAB Australia (Adelaide, Australia)

At the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), for my postdoctoral research I worked on implementing the k0-NAA method at the NBSR for quality control of standard reference materials (SRMs).  I also contributed to the analysis and certification of several inorganic SRMs as part of the Nuclear Methods Team (Inorganic Metrology Group).

At the University of Missouri-Columbia I worked on several projects as part of my doctoral dissertation. These include the analyses of ochre, ceramics, and glass beads. My work also has involved diagenesis studies and the development of portable analytical XRF instrumentation. The majority of my research deals with the characterization of ochre, particularly trace element chemistry.

For my senior thesis (Washington University in St. Louis, 1998-1999), I undertook an independent investigation of the application of Raman microprobe spectroscopy to Hellenistic ceramics from the Athenian Agora. The project had two goals: to investigate whether this application was feasible, and if so, what kind of results could be found on ancient ceramics. This was the first time that Raman microprobe spectroscopy was used on ancient ceramics.