Julia Lee-Thorp
Julia Anne Lee-Thorp, (born 20 April 1951) is a South African archaeologist and academic. She is Head of the Stable Light Isotope Laboratory and Professor of Archaeological Science and Bioarchaeology at the University of Oxford. Lee-Thorp is most well known for her work on dietary ecology and human origins, using stable isotope chemistry to study fossil bones and teeth. Early life and education. Lee-Thorp was born on 20 April 1951 in Cape Town, South Africa. Studying at the University of Cape Town, she graduated with Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Science (BSc) with  a major in chemistry, and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees. Her doctoral thesis, titled "Stable carbon isotopes in deep time: the diets of fossil fauna and hominids," was completed in 1989 and demonstrated a method by which to significantly increase the applicable time-span of carbon isotopic analysis by using the mineral form of calcified animal tissue (apatite) as the sample material instead of traditionally used collagen. Academic career. Lee-Thorp remained at her alma mater, working as a senior research officer at the University of Cape Town's Archaeometry Research Unit (1991 to 1997). She was a senior lecturer  in its Faculty of Science from 1998 to 2000 and an associate professor from 2001 to 2004. She was appointed Professor of Archaeology in 2005. In 2005, she moved to the United Kingdom to take up the post of research director of Archaeological, Geographical and Environmental Sciences at the University of Bradford. She joined the University of Oxford in 2010 as Professor of Archaeological Science and a Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford. She has served as Vice-Head of the School of Archaeology from 2014 to 2016, and has been its Head since 2016. Research. Lee-Thorp has been  involved in a number of projects in Africa, South America, and Europe. In addition to diet, her more recent research has focused on the role of changing environment, climate, and farming techniques on ancient human societies. Currently, she is involved in the Paleodeserts Project, The Agricultural Origins of Urban Civilization (AGRICURB), and Building a Better Eggtimer. Honours. In 2013, Lee-Thorp was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and social sciences. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa.