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Staff Profiles

Dr Eline Van Asperen

Technician

  • Telephone: (+44)(0)191 208 5432
Background


Dr Eline van Asperen is a palaeoecologist and archaeological scientist who specialises in palynology, with wider interests in Quaternary mammals and the European Palaeolithic. Her research examines the relationships between environmental factors and the dynamics of human and animal populations, using a multi-proxy approach including zooarchaeological material, pollen, NPPs, XRF and ICP-MS. At Newcastle she is a technician responsible for the day to day management of the Wolfson Archaeology Laboratory, as well as a Visiting Researcher.

Previous positions

- Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, Liverpool John Moores University, 2013-2016

- Marie Curie ERG Fellow, Liverpool John Moores University, 2010-2013

Qualifications

- PhD in Archaeology, University of York, 2010

- MA in Archaeology, Leiden University (The Netherlands), 2004

Research

Research interests:

My main research interests concern the interactions between people, animals (both wild and domesticated), vegetation, landscape and climate. I have acquired a broad range of skills in large mammal palaeontology, expertise in the laboratory preparation and analysis of fossil fungal spores, pollen and phytoliths, soil texture and geochemistry and a good knowledge of methods and fieldwork in Quaternary vertebrate palaeontology and archaeology.

 

Current research projects:

Pollen, NPP and metal pollution analysis to trace the impact of human activities on the landscape:

- Fuelling the northern frontier? New research on Roman activity and landscape impacts in the Hadrian’s Wall region (2023-present); in collaboration with Lisa-Marie Shillito, Damian Rudge and Rob Collins (Newcastle University) and Simon Chenery (British Geological Survey). Funding: Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, British Academy Small Grant, Newcastle University.

- ‘Exploring the environmental impact of the Iron Age-Roman transition at the northern frontier’ (2021-present); pollen analysis of cores from Alston Moor; project led by L.-M. Shillito (Newcastle University) in collaboration with the Epiacum Trust volunteer group. Funding: Royal Archaeological Institute, Newcastle University.


The use of fungal spores as a proxy for herbivore impacts on past vegetation (2013-present):

- actualistic experiments in the modern environment; in collaboration with Chillingham Wild Cattle Park, J. Kirby (Liverpool John Moores University) and H. Shaw (Maynooth University, Ireland; 2013-present). Funding: Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship, Quaternary Research Association.

- analysis of moss samples from Killarney National Park, Ireland; in collaboration with J. Kirby (Liverpool John Moores University) and H. Shaw (Maynooth University, Ireland; 2018-present). Funding: Quaternary Research Association.

- analysis of dung fungal spores from Indian mammals (2020-present); in collaboration with S. Basumatary, H. Singh, S. Tripathi, A.K. Pokharia (Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeosciences, India) and H.G. McDonald (Utah Bureau of Land Management, USA).


European Quaternary mammal faunas:

- biostratigraphical and ecomorphological analysis of Quaternary horse fossils from Slovenia (2024-present); in collaboration with Karol Karbowski, Urszula Ratajczak-Skrzatek, Aleksandra Kropczyk and Krzysztof Stefaniak (Wrocław University, Poland); Slavko Polak (Notranjska Museum Postojna, Slovenia), Tomaž Hitij (Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana / Inštitut za paleobiolgija in evolucijo, Slovenia).

- dietary adaptations and variability of deer from the early Middle Pleistocene site of Untermassfeld (2018-present); in collaboration with R.-D. Kahlke of the Senckenberg Institut (Weimar, Germany). Funding: Senckenberg Researcher Alumni Network Grant.


Publications