Making it Work: Collaboration in Bioarchaeology

Making it Work: Collaboration in Bioarchaeology with Dr Alexis Dolphin

As a bioarchaeologist who works with human remains from archaeological sites in order to reconstruct the lives of past peoples my research revolves around collaboration.  Using my current research at an Early Bronze Age site in southern Jordan (Wadi Faynan 100) as a case study, I will explore what it means to be a researcher aiming to do ‘good science’, while also doing ‘science for good’.  Working with the dead requires strong relationships with, and sensitivities to, not only your colleagues and national governments, but to the local communities without whom you could not do your work at all.   One of my major research projects is examining the impacts of toxic trace metals on childhood health and development due to the development of metallurgy during the Early Bronze Age.  This work exists in a sphere of interest and anxieties felt well beyond the academy.  Acknowledging the complexities of interests and anxieties can provide valuable insights for anyone who aims to do collaborative work across disciplinary boundaries, in international settings, and with the consent of various public stakeholders.  .

As a biological anthropologist, Dr. Dolphin specializes in dental anthropology, human osteology, bioarchaeology, paleonutrition and paleopollution, with an emphasis on reconstructing the experiences of mothers and children via chemical and histological analyses of teeth and bones.  While her previous fieldwork was conducted in Ontario, Belize, Mexico, Iceland, and Peru, she currently co-directs excavations of the Wadi Faynan 100 cemetery located in Jordan (with Dr. Russell Adams).  Her laboratory work utilizes human bones and teeth from ancient and contemporary samples from around the world, and here in Canada.  She is the Director of the Ancient and Contemporary Environmental Bioindicators Laboratory (ACEBioLab) located in the Department of Anthropology. Dr. Dolphin recently completed a project examining the health of children living in early medieval Bergen, Norway, during a period of rapid urbanization, and enjoyed several Guest Researcher appointments at the University of Bergen which were sponsored by the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study Tooth Bank (MoBaTann).  Her more recent work has used trace elements, stable isotopes and dental histology to study paleopollution, mobility, and childhood stress, respectively.   

This seminar is open to the public: all undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, visitors are welcome to attend. If you are a prospective high school student and would like to attend this seminar, please contact ki@uwaterloo.ca to plan your visit!