Interview with the winner of the Pomerance Award for Scientific Contributions to Archaeology 2023: Professor Julia Lee-Thorp

The Pomerance Award for Scientific Contributions to Archaeology is a prestigious award granted by the the Archaeological Institute of America. I had the pleasure of interviewing the winner of the 2023 award: Professor Julia Lee-Thorp. 

How did you get into archaeology, more specifically archaeological science?

I was educated in South Africa, at the University of Cape Town where u/g degrees were quite broad (a huge advantage). My first degree was a BSc in science, specifically a major in chemistry, but it included physics, maths, zoology and even astronomy. Then came another undergraduate degree in archaeology and humanities topics. I immediately knew that archaeology was my passion, it just gelled, and it was soon apparent that my scientific training esp. chemistry was a significant advantage. The UCT archaeology department was a pioneer in several archaeological endeavours that required chemistry or physics understanding - stable light isotopes and Iron Age metallurgy. Also there was close collaboration with geochemists, environmentalists, oceanographers, social scientists. To cut a long story short, I had the right background and interests, and the department was the right place.  

What are the future directions of archaeological science?

Difficult one to answer! In general I think that archaeological scientists need to keep being highly collaborative and open to ideas an concepts from outside the discipline, but also need to hew close to archaeological concepts and concerns. Sometimes I see practitioners doing complicated analytical projects that don't necessarily address sound questions. A good question is key.

There are multiple expanding avenues right now that are very promising - just some:

- Increasingly intricate DNA investigations aimed at human and faunal ancestry and relationships; intensive work on plant and animal biology/physiology; 

- Proteomics and ZooMs analyses for previously irresolvable species identifications on recent  and very old materials

- Biomarker & lipid residue analysis has made great strides in tackling previously irresolvable issues;  

- Chronological research continues to make rapid strides in precision (radiocarbon dating) and calibration;

- New methods emerging to tackle ages of previously undateable old crystalline materials - such as IRSL of Ma-old sediments and AAR of amino acid remnants in fossil enamel and ostrich eggshell;

- Stable isotope field is expanding into metal isotopes, and becoming more sophisticated;

Applying concepts from modern biology and ecology to handle complex data and address problems of ancient ecology with statistical rigour.  

What were the obstacles you had to overcome when you were working to establish yourself as a scholar/researcher?

Early in my career, archaeological science was not widely recognised as an important and integral part of the discipline of archaeology, in comparison to say, traditional archaeology. And the latter was pretty male dominated. So it was regarded as a bit "niche" and it was difficult to make a career. It's no longer the case that archaeological science is a spare part, but it's still difficult to find one's niche and occupy it with confidence.

What challenges do you see the female students and early career researchers you work with struggle with the most these days?

A large number of my students have been female so I have some experience here (aside from being one myself). All students and ECR researchers need lots of support and guidance but the former tend to have different issues to the latter. One thing female students in particular need is confidence boosting, and ECR researchers tend to need morale boosting as it's a critical career stage.  

Do you think these challenges are similar to those you experienced yourself? If this is the case, why do you think things have not improved over the years? 

Yes and no. I struggled with self-doubt, sense of self-worth and uncertainty about my 'place' in the system, as do many students still, and its undoubtedly more of an issue for female students. But this is a universal problem and part of the student growing experience. Female students often need more encouragement about their sense of self-worth.

On the other hand, archaeological science is far more valued as a sub-discipline so that particular issue has evaporated. It's also now a discipline in which there have been many women leaders. 

What more do you think we can do, as individuals and institutions, to help promote the role of female researchers in the field of archaeological science? 

Female researchers are doing pretty well in archaeological science, and also in bioarchaeology or bioanthropology!  Once in a post, employing institutions need to ensure that female staff are given enough space to do their research and not become totally bogged down in excessive teaching and administration. That is probably the best thing that should be done, it's a problem in many institutions and it applies to all disciplines. 

 

If you can give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?

Oh gosh. Perhaps, "believe that you have what it takes to succeed in the profession". Also "you've made some important advances, now seize the opportunity and run with it". 

What advice would you give to other female researchers out there who would like to pursue a career in archaeological science? 

Follow your heart, follow the big questions.

I'd like to add this: there will always be researchers who decide that academia is not worth it for them, personally. This is completely fine, their degrees in archaeological science will have equipped them very well for multiple other satisfying careers. 

One thing I definitely should have mentioned is the necessity for role models in encouraging female students. Archaeological Science and especially my own area, stable isotopes applied in bio-archaeology and palaeoanthropology definitely has many. I remember Tamsin O'Connell pointing this out to me when she joined us for my retirement party!