Rebecca Gerdes

Overview

Rebecca is PhD candidate in Classics concentrating in Classical Archaeology. She holds a B.A. in Classics and Chemistry (Smith College, 2015), and an M.Sc. in Archaeological Science (University of Oxford, 2016). Her work focuses on integrating archaeological and chemical approaches to reconstructing ancient food practices. In her dissertation research, she is developing new methods for analyzing food residues in ceramics that are specific to the environment of the ancient Mediterranean. She is a member of two excavations in Cyprus, the Kalavasos and Maroni Built Environments Project and the Yeronisos Island Expedition. Rebecca is an executive board member and the former president of the Archaeological Science Group at Cornell and a member of Diversitas and the CIAMS Anticolonialism and Antiracism Interest Group, and is involved in archaeology and STEM outreach. She’s happy to talk about her experiences in any of these areas. Rebecca is the current Assistant Director of the Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies.