Profile
Biography
Michelle specialises in the application of bioarchaeological techniques to aid in understanding the dynamics of multi-faith societies in the historical periods from the dietary perspective. Her research focusses on exploring the diet and resource base of communities at the interface of major socio-cultural and economic transitions, with a particular interest in medieval Islamic and/or multicultural societies. She is also interested in the dynamics of human-animal interactions made visible through biomolecular evidence.
Michelle took up a Lectureship in Bioarchaeology in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York in January 2012 and has since pursued isotopic analysis (δ13C, δ15N, δ34S, δ18O) of historic period human and animal populations in the UK, Europe and elsewhere with a focus on the Mediterranean (Spain, Italy, Sicily, North Africa) but also recently expanding into research on Zanzibar. She also has expertise in DNA analysis and has co-authored publications on ancient and modern genetics of chickens, geese and pigs to understand mutation rates and domestication.
Prior to arriving at York, Michelle first studied Archaeology in Durham University in 2002 where she completed a BSc degree in Archaeology, focusing on bioarchaeology and medieval archaeology. She went on to study for an MSc degree in Biomolecular Archaeology, run jointly between the Universities of Manchester and Sheffield. She completed her Masters dissertation at Manchester in 2006, specializing in ancient DNA. Michelle then returned to Durham University to complete her PhD with an AHRC funded Durham Doctoral Fellowship where she analyzed the stable isotopes in human and animal remains to explore diet between faiths and cultural groups, geographical locations and through time in Medieval Spain.
In 2010 Michelle took up the post of Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology in Aberdeen University, returning to focus on DNA and faunal remains while acting as a Visiting Fellow at Durham University and Cornell University, USA.
Key research interests
- Isotopic and biomolecular (DNA, ZooMS, lipids) analysis
- Multi-faith and multicultural societies and identities in the middle ages
- History and archaeology of medieval Mediterranean (Spain, Portugal, Italy, North Africa)
- Food systems and sociocultural change during the Middle Ages
- Zooarchaeology, animal husbandry and agriculture
- Human osteology
- Urban provisioning in the medieval period
You can follow her personal Twitter feed here: @MMAlexande
Departmental roles
Deputy Head of Department (2020-2024)
Director of Learning and Teaching (2021-)
Chair of Board of Studies (2019-2021)
Director of Studies, MSc in Bioarchaeology (2013-17, 2019-2021)
Co-director of BioArCh (2013-2017, 2020)
Chair of Teaching Committee (2015-2018)
Departmental Library Rep (2015-2018)
Deputy Undergraduate Admissions Tutor (2012-2015)
University roles
University Teaching Committee (2021-)
Arts & Humanities Faculty Learning & Teaching Group (2016-17, 2020-)
Postgraduate Research Policies and Programmes Committee (2022-)
Digital Education Steering Group (2021)
University Library Committee (2015-2017)
University GTA Coordinators (2015-2017)
Research
Overview
I am a bioarchaeologist and historical archaeologist who specialises in the application of bioarchaeological techniques to aid in understanding the dynamics of multi-faith societies in the historical periods from the dietary perspective. My research focusses on exploring the diet and resource base of communities through the application of stable isotope analysis (δ13C collagen and carbonates, δ15N, δ34S, δ16O) to archaeological human and animal populations at the interface of major socio-cultural and economic transitions, with a particular interest in medieval multicultural societies. I am also interested in the dynamics of human-animal interactions made visible through biomolecular evidence and have co-authored genetic studies of chickens, geese and pigs to understand mutation rates and domestication.
I am interested in questions pertaining to historic period human and animal populations in the UK, Europe and elsewhere with a focus on the Mediterranean (Spain, Portugal, Italy including Sicily, North Africa, Isreal) and medieval Islamic societies in particular, and I have recently expanded into research on Zanzibar.
Key research interests
- Isotopic and biomolecular analysis
- Multi-faith and multicultural societies and identities in the middle ages
- History and archaeology of medieval Mediterranean (Spain, Portugal, Italy, North Africa)
- Food systems and sociocultural change during the Middle Ages
- Zooarchaeology, animal husbandry and agriculture
- Human osteology
- Urban provisioning in the medieval period
Projects
Past projects
Research group(s)
Current Postdoctoral Researchers
- Maite I . García-Collado (University of the Basque Country)
Previous Postdoctoral Researchers
- Mik Lisowski (Urban Ecology - Zanzibar)
- Marcos García García (Landscapes of (Re)Conquest)
- Efrossini Vika (EcoNoMy)
Supervision
Current PhD students
- Sarah Delaney dental calculus micro debris and Medieval society (Co-supervised with Dr. Anita Radini)
- James Nottingham (co-supervisor) Human-dog relationships in medieval and post-medieval England (WRoCAH/AHRC funded, co-supervised with Dr. David Orton)
- Liz Quinlan (SeaChanges) Exploitation of Salmon around the North Sea during the medieval period (EU funded, co-supervised with Dr. David Orton)
- Guro Rolandsen (University of Stavanger, Norway) Medieval and Post-Medieval diets in Noway: biomolecular approaches (Primary supervisor Dr. Hege Hollund)
- Mackenzie Masters Interpopulation isotopic analysis between a medieval mass grave and an attritional assemblage to assess social reactions to catastrophe (co-supervised with Malin Holst)
- Jordí Ruiz Ventura: Non-adult health and diet in catastrophic and non-catastrophic medieval assemblages (co-supervised with Malin Holst)
- Despoina Sampatakou (co-supervision with Colleen Morgan)
- Veronica Lee (co-supervision with David Orton)
- Elisha Meadows (co-supervised with Malin Holst)
- Nura Hassan (co-supervised with Stephanie Wynne-Jones)
Completed PhD students
- Sophy Charlton Biomolecular approaches to Mesolithic and Neolithic populations in Britain (NERC funded, co-supervised with Prof. Oliver Craig)
- Anita Radini Microdebris in Medieval dental calculus
- Alice Toso Isotopic approaches to understand diet in multi-faith societies of medieval Portugal (WRoCAH/AHRC funded, co-supervised with Dr. Iona Mccleery, Leeds University)
- Alison Harris (ArchSci2020) Novel isotopic approaches to Arctic human and dog populations (EU funded, co-supervised with Dr. Gunilla Eriksson, Stockholm University)
- Blessing Chidimuro Characterising Post-Medieval diet in England using isotopic approaches (WRoCAH/AHRC funded)
- Alice Ughi (Sicily in Transition) Isotopic approach to understanding diet in Medieval Siciliy through time (EU Funded)
- Katrien Dierickx (SeaChanges) Exploitation of Flatfish around the North Sea during the medieval period (EU funded, co-supervised with Dr. David Orton)
Visiting students and researchers
- Supervisory role for visiting PhD students Jan Bakker (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) and Giorgia Tulumello (University of Salento, Italy)
- Erasmus+ students, Laura Viñas Caron conducted an isotopic analysis of Bronze Age communities in Aragon and Catalonia, Northen Spain (2017-18)
Teaching
Undergraduate
Year 1
Introduction to Archaeological Science
Year 2
Practical Skills: Biomolecular Archaeology
Year 3
Assessed Seminar: Paleodiet
Dissertation - I have supervised undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations on a range of topics relating to the bioarchaeological study of historic period populations both in and out of the lab. Some of these have been published. Past titles include:
Past module contributions:
Themes in Historical Archaeology: Medieval Iberia
World Archaeology Mummification
Team Project: Biomolecular Archaeology
Prehistory to the Present
Special Topic ancient DNA
Postgraduate
MSc in Bioarchaeology
Ancient Biomolecules
Past module contributions:
Medieval Settlement and Communities
Bones: Matters of Life and Death
