Jess Bates
Postdoctoral Research Associate

Profile

Biography

2022 - present: Postdoctoral Research Associate working on depositing the digital and physical archive material from the Flixton Island 2 excavations (2012-2014), a site dating from Upper Palaeolithic to Early Mesolithic located in the Vale of Pickering. 

2018 - 2022: PhD researcher at the University of York, my work explored ‘Making space: spatial and microwear analysis of flint tools associated with structures and settlement at the Early Mesolithic site of Star Carr’, supervised by Dr Aimée Little and Prof Nicky Milner.

2017 - 2018: MPhil at the University of Cambridge specialising in Archaeological Sciences. For my dissertation I applied ancient DNA analysis to investigate how biological identity and societal groups were expressed in the burial layout of an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in Cambridgeshire. Supervised by Dr Toomas Kivisild. 

2014 - 2017: BA in Archaeology at the University of York. My dissertation, entitled ‘A critical exploration of gender assignment to burial goods in the European Mesolithic and Neolithic’ was supervised by Professor Nicky Milner.

Departmental roles

Education and Outreach Officer, York Experimental Archaeology Research (YEAR) Centre

Research

Overview

I am specifically interested in Mesolithic settlement archaeology, using microwear of flint tools and GIS to understand patterns in hunter-gatherer behaviour. In particular, I have applied these methods to Mesolithic structures at Star Carr to interpret how some of the earliest forms of post-built architecture in Britain were used by their inhabitants.

More generally, my research interests revolve around the Mesolithic and early prehistory, material culture and experimental archaeology.

External activities

Memberships

Elected member of The Prehistoric Society (Europa Officer)

Committee member of The Lithics Studies Society (Ordinary member)

Teaching

Undergraduate

2020-2021: Undergraduate Year 2, Themes in Prehistory: Mesolithic

2020: Undergraduate Year 2, Researching Archaeology: Prehistory 

2020: Undergraduate Year 1, Artefacts and Materials

2019: Undergraduate Year 1, Accessing Archaeology 

2018: Undergraduate Year 2, Assisting with week 6 Practical Skills: Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture

Other teaching

Contributions to York pedagogy

March 2020. Needham, A., Bates, J., Groves, M., Langley, A. and Piper, S., Crafting Inclusive Learning Communities using Small Group Practical Work. Annual Learning and Teaching Conference 12, University of York. Conference paper.

March 2020. Needham, A., Bates, J., Groves, M., Langley, A. and Piper, S. A., Novel Approach to Artefact Studies in Archaeology: Using Experimental Archaeology to Facilitate Deep Learning. Annual Learning and Teaching Conference 12, University of York. Conference poster.

March 2020. Needham, A., Bates J., Groves, M., Langley, A. and Piper, S., Creating Innovative Learning Methods in Archaeology: Integrating the Practical and the Theoretical in Artefact Studies. Annual Learning and Teaching Conference 12, University of York. Conference poster.