Tina Lüdecke
Main Focus
I investigate early hominin diets and their ecological context, with a focus on the onset and evolution of meat consumption and the position of Plio-Pleistocene hominins in African paleo–food webs, using stable isotopes in tooth enamel. I also reconstruct Neogene paleolandscapes inhabited by early hominins, examining C4 grassland expansion in relation to changes in seasonality, precipitation, temperature, atmospheric pCO₂, and tree cover.
My work combines extensive field research with geochemical approaches — stable isotopes of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and zinc, clumped isotopes, and multi-element analyses — applied to fossil tooth enamel, pedogenic carbonates, and other proxy materials. My research areas span the Miocene to Pleistocene in eastern and southern Africa, including early hominin sites of the Afar Depression (Ethiopia), Manyara Basin (Tanzania), Karonga Basin (Malawi), Urema Basin (Mozambique), and the Cradle of Humankind (South Africa). I also work on younger, out-of-Africa localities including Oman, Indonesia, Mexico, and Turkey.
My goal is to link early hominin dietary adaptations to ecosystem change, assess the significance of animal resource consumption, and evaluate the role of dietary flexibility in extinction and adaptive radiation.
Recently, my colleagues and I adapted the oxidation–denitrification method for measuring nitrogen isotopes in ~5 mg samples of modern and fossil tooth enamel. We demonstrated that enamel nitrogen reliably preserves dietary isotopic signatures in both feeding experiments (Leichliter et al., 2021) and natural ecosystems (Lüdecke & Leichliter et al., 2022), establishing it as a powerful new paleodietary proxy (Leichliter & Lüdecke et al., 2023). Applying this method to early hominin enamel for the first time, we found that Australopithecus from Sterkfontein (South Africa) did not consume significant amounts of mammalian meat (Lüdecke et al., 2025).
Curriculum Vitae
Current Position (Since Sep 2021)
Research group leader of the Emmy Noether Group for Hominin Meat Consumption (HoMeCo) at the Max-Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany
DFG Emmy Noether Fellowship: The Onset and Evolution of Early Hominin Meat Consumption – The position of Plio-Pleistocene hominins in African paleo-food webs based on nitrogen isotopes in tooth enamel
Professional Employment History and Education
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Jan 2021 – Aug 2021 |
Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Climate Geochemistry Department, Max-Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany |
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Oct 2017 – Dec 2020 |
Post-Doctoral Researcher at Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt, Germany. DFG personal grant: Early Hominin Adaptation in the Southern East African Rift – Plio-Pleistocene African temperature, ecosystem and early hominin diet patterns across a woodland-grassland savanna boundary |
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Oct. 2016 – Sep 2017 |
Post-Doctoral Researcher, Biomaterials and Biomimetics, College of Dentistry, New York University, USA. Quantitative analysis of multi-element concentrations using mass-spectrometry |
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Jun 2016 – Sep 2016 |
Post-Doctoral Researcher, at Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt, Germany. Group Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironmental Dynamics |
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04/05/2016 |
PhD degree, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. Magna cum laude. Thesis: Stable isotope-based reconstruction of Neogene terrestrial archives. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. A. Mulch & Prof. Dr. F. Schrenk |
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Jan 2011 – May 2016 |
PhD candidate, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Frankfurt, Germany |
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Oct 2014 – Nov 2014 |
Visiting PhD at the School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Science, Stanford University, CA, USA |
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08/11/ 2010 |
Diploma in Geosciences, Gottfried-Wilhelm-Leibniz-University-Hannover. Grade 1.5 (very good). Thesis: Late Cenozoic Paleoenvironmental signatures of the Central Anatolian Plateau. Supervisors: Prof. Dr. A. Mulch & Dr. Tamás Mikes |
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Oct 2004 – Dec 2010 |
Student of geosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany |
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June 2004 |
Abitur (German A Levels), Gymnasium Bremervörde, Germany |
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June 2001 |
High School Diploma, Ludington High School, USA |
Invited Positions and Professional Activities
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Since 2026 |
Faculty Member with full doctoral examination rights, Max Planck Graduate Center (MPGC), Germany |
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Since 2024 |
Honorary Research Fellow, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. Evolutionary Studies Institute and School of Geosciences; host: Prof. Dr. M. Bamford |
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Since 2021 |
Guest Researcher, Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Germany. Paleoclimate & Paleoenvironmental Dynamics; host: Prof. Dr. A. Mulch |
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2022 – 2023 |
Guest Researcher, National Museums of Kenya, Kenya. Department of Earth Sciences, Paleontology Section; host: Dr. E.K. Ndiema. |
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2021 – 2025 |
Junior Faculty Member with full doctoral examination rights, Max Planck Graduate Center (MPGC), Germany |
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2019 – 2020 |
Guest Researcher, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Germany. Department of Climate Geochemistry; host: Prof. Dr. G. Haug |
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2017 – 2023 |
Research Associate, University of Oxford, England. School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography; host: Prof. Dr. S. Carvalho |
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2016 – 2024 |
Senior Team Member, Paleo-Primate-Project Gorongosa, Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. PIs: Prof. Dr. S. Carvalho & Prof. Dr. R. Bobe |
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2013 – 2014 |
Guest Researcher, Stanford University, CA, USA. School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Science; host: Prof. Dr. P. Chamberlain |
Awarded Grants (Selection) Total > € 3 Million
*Grants Obtained as Sole Principal Investigator (PI)
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2024 – 2027* |
DFG (German Research Foundation) funding for renewal of Emmy Noether group: “The Onset and Evolution of Early Hominin Meat Consumption (HoMeCo)” (LU 2199/2-2); € 761,930 |
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2023 – 2026 |
HFSP (International Human Frontier Science Program) funding for the international collaboration project, “Uncovering the real paleo diet: Novel isotope analytics of amino acids from fossil hominin teeth” (RGP019/2023). Co-PIs: Dr. C. Neubauer, University of Colorado, Bouder (USA), Dr. Rani Bakkour, Technical University Munich (Germany); US$ 1,050,000 |
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2021 – 2024* |
DFG (German Research Foundation) funding for Emmy Noether group: “The Onset and Evolution of Early Hominin Meat Consumption (HoMeCo)” (LU 2199 2-1); € 977,254 |
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2019 – 2020* |
DFG (German Research Foundation) funding for extension of personal grant “Eigene Stelle” in ICDP Priority Program: “Early Hominin Adaptation in the Southern East African Rift” (LU 2199/1-2); € 98,000 |
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2018 – 2019* |
NGS (National Geographic Society) funding for Explorer Project: “Gorongosa by the sea: unveiling chronological and environmental contexts of early human evolution, Urema Rift, central Mozambique” (NGS-51478R-18); US$ 18,000 |
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2017 – 2019* |
DFG (German Research Foundation) funding for personal grant “Eigene Stelle” in ICDP Priority Program: “Early Hominin Adaptation in the Southern East African Rift” (LU 2199/1-1); € 207,929 |
Research Group Leadership and Academic Supervision
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Postdoctoral Researchers |
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Since 2024 |
Dr. Jana Storsberg, financed through my HFSP Grant |
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Since 2021 |
Dr. Jennifer Leichliter, financed through my Emmy Noether Grant. |
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Doctoral Candidates (First Supervision) |
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Since 2023 |
Marissa Vink, financed through my Emmy Noether Grant. |
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Since 2022 |
Sven Brömme, financed through my Emmy Noether Grant. |
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External PhD Committees |
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2026 |
Recognise Sambo, School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa |
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2024 |
Danaé Guiserix, Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon - Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, France |
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Master’s Theses |
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2021 - 2023 |
Marissa Vink, MSc student, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, The Netherlands (co-supervisor, first supervisor Prof. Dr. A. Henry) |
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Technical Staff |
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2025 |
Rebecca Ruwe, technical staff |
Media Exposure (Selection)
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2015 |
Television appearance: ARTE “Is it True that… We have Always Eaten Meat?“. Featured scientific expert (available in seven languages). |
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2025 |
Press release: Three million years ago, our ancestors were vegetarian. Lüdecke et al., 2025 (Science). Covered by multiple news outlets (selection):
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2025 |
“Visit to…” in the Max Planck Research science magazine (German, English) |
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2025 |
Press release: Ancient Teeth Reveal Mammalian Responses to Climate Change in Southeast Asia. Bourgon et al., 2025 (Sci Adv). |
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2024 |
News report on German TV (Tageschau and SWR): “Human evolution: Was eating meat important?”. Featured scientific expert (German only) |
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2023 |
Press release: Uncovering the real paleo diet: Scientific team wins HFSP Research Grant. |
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1021 |
Radio interview at Südwestrundfunk (SWR1), aired July 1st 2021 |
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2021 |
Press releases from MPIC and Gorongosa National Park: “New Emmy Noether Junior Research Group – When did meat enter our diet?” |
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2020 |
Guest in Neil deGrasse Tyson’s podcast Star Talk Radio, episode “Climate and Diet of Early Humans”; also available on YouTube and spotify |
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2019 |
Public lecture “Zähne der Zeit”, also on YouTube (German only) |
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2019 |
Research highlight “Hominins had flexible diets”, Nature Human Behavior 3, 109. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0524-z |
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2019 |
Newspaper article “Die Zahnfee von Senckenberg“ in Bild (German only) |
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2018 |
Press release: You are what you eat: High dietary versatility characteristic for early hominins. Lüdecke et al., 2018 (PNAS). |
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2016 |
Press release: Adaptation is human — the evolution of early humans took place in diverse habitats. Lüdecke et al., 2016 (J Hum Evol). |
Invited Presentations (Selection)
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2026 |
Bill Kimbel Distinguished Lecture Series, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, USA |
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2026 |
Department of Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Nature Research, Frankfurt, Germany |
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2025 |
Symposium “What Makes us Human”, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Germany |
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2025 |
Ecology and Evolution Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia |
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2025 |
Laboratory of Geology, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Lyon, France |
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2025 |
Institute of Archaeology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic |
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2025 |
Archaeological Sciences and Human Evolution, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany |
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2025 |
Ökoprofit, Mainz, Germany |
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2024 |
Ditsong: Museums of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa |
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2024 |
Thermo Fisher Scientific, Bremen, Germany |
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2024 |
Chemistry, Physics and Technology Section of The Scientific Council, Max Planck Society, Berlin |
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2023 |
“Lucy’s Heirs” Symposium in Honor of Yves Coppens, Collège de France and Musée de l’Homme, Paris, France |
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2023 |
Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa |
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2023 |
Department of Anthropology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA |
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2022 |
Science Division, Gorongosa National Park, Chitengo, Mozambique |
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2021 |
Department for Geosciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany |
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2021 |
Climate Geochemistry Department, Max-Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany |
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2020 |
School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography, Oxford University, Oxford, UK |
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2019 |
Vortragsreihe “Forschungsreisen”, Senckenberg Museum, Frankfurt, Germany |
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2018 |
Department of Anthropology, University of Chile, Santiago de Chile, Chile |
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2017 |
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, NY, USA |
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2016 |
Department of Archaeology, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany |
Fieldwork Total: ca. 16 Months
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2025 |
Denizli Travertine Quarries, Anatolia, Turkey, 1 week |
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2025 |
Neolithic burials, Wadi Nafūn, Sultanate of Oman, 1 week |
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2019 |
Atacama Desert and Patagonia, Chile, 2 weeks |
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2018 & 2022 |
Manyara Beds, Manyara Basin, Tanzania (PI), 2 months |
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2016 – 2022 |
Mazamba Formation, Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, 5 months |
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2016 |
Sangiran Formation, Solo Basin, Java, Indonesia, 2 weeks |
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2011 – 2013 |
Chiwondo Beds, Karonga Basin, Malawi (PI), 4 months |
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2012 |
North American Cordillera, Montana and Idaho, USA, 3 weeks |
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2008 – 2011 |
Central Anatolian Plateau, Turkey, 2.5 months |
Hominin and Faunal Fossil Collection Work Total ca. 7 Months
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Since 2024 |
National Museum of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 4 weeks |
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Since 2023 |
Ditsong National Museum of Cultural History, Pretoria, South Africa, 1 week |
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Since 2019 |
Evolutionary Studies Institute, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, 2 months total |
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Since 2019 |
Zoological collection at the University of Hamburg, Leibniz Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change, Hamburg, Germany, 2 weeks total |
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2025 |
Natural History Museum, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey, 1 week |
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2024 |
Musée National d'Histoire et des Civilisations & Institut National des Sciences de l’Archéologie et du Patrimoine (INSAP), Rabat, Morocco, 2 weeks |
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2022 |
National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya, 2 weeks |
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2011 – 2019 |
Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Germany, 4 weeks |
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2011 – 2013 |
Cultural & Museum Centre Karonga, Malawi, 4 weeks |
Memberships
*Regular Presentations at (Bi)Annual Congresses/Meetings
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Since 2025 |
World Archaeological Congress (WAC) |
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Since 2023* |
Southern African Society for Quaternary Research (SASQUA) |
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Since 2021* |
American Association of Biological Anthropologists (AABA) |
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2020 |
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) |
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Since 2018* |
European Society for the Study of Human Evolution (ESHE) |
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Since 2017 |
Frankfurter Geographische Gesellschaft e.V. (FGG) |
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2017 |
International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) |
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Since 2016* |
Eastern African Association of Palaeoanthropologists and Palaeontologists (EAAPP) |
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2014 – 2016* |
Geological Society of America (GSA) |
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2015 |
International Association of Sedimentologists (IAS) |
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2013 – 2015* |
European Geosciences Union (EGU) |
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2013 |
American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
Editorial Service
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Since 2026 |
Editorial Board Member, LEIZA Journal of Archaeology (LJA) |
Teaching Experience
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Since 2023 |
Annual BSc course at the Department of Ancient Studies, Gutenberg University, Mainz (Germany): “Stabilisotopenanalyse in der Archäologie” |
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Since 2021 |
Annual rotating MSc lecture series at the Department of Geosciences, Gutenberg University, Mainz (Germany): “Paleoclimate”, host: D. Scholz |
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2026 |
Invited BSc guest seminar at the Department of Ancient Studies, Gutenberg University, Mainz (Germany): “Forensic Methods for Reconstructing Neanderthal Lifeways”, host: S. Gaudzinski-Windheuser |
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2025 |
CNRS-Africa Residential Research School "PreBioME" – Quaternary Prehistory, biodiversity and environments in Morocco, host: E. Stoetzel |
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2024 |
Annual rotating BSc lecture series at the Department of Ancient Studies, Gutenberg University, Mainz (Germany): “Bioarcheology”, host: L. Kindler |
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2022 |
Invited guest lecture at the Department of Anthropology, University of California Santa Cruz (USA): Evolution of Human Diet, host: V. Oelze |
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2022 |
Invited guest seminar at the Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Graz (Austria): Continental paleoenvironmental reconstructions, host: M. Meijers |
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2019 – 2020 |
Annual course (lecture and exercise) at the Goethe University, Frankfurt (Germany): Paleoenvironmental reconstructions in continental settings, co-designed with M. Meijers and I. Vasiliev |
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2018 – 2022 |
Oxford-Gorongosa Paleo-Primate Field School in Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique). |