Julia Lee-Thorp

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Julia Lee-Thorp
Born (1951-04-20) 20 April 1951 (age 74)
Alma mater University of Cape Town
Known for Stable Light Isotope
Scientific career
FieldsArchaeological science
Institutions

Julia Anne Lee-Thorp, FBA , FRSSAf, (born 20 April 1951) is a South African-born archaeologist and academic. She is Professor Emerita of Archaeological Science and Bioarchaeology at the University of Oxford. She served as Head of the Stable Light Isotope Laboratory during her tenure, and as Head of the School of Archaeology 2016–2019. [1] 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. [2]

Contents

Early life and education

Lee-Thorp was born on 20 April 1951 in Cape Town, South Africa. [3] Studying at the University of Cape Town, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA), a Bachelor of Science (BSc) with a major in Chemistry, a BSc (Hons) in Archaeology and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees. [3] [4] 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 most highly mineralised calcified animal tissue (a biological apatite), tooth enamel, as the sample material instead of traditionally used bone collagen. [5] She also has an M.Phil. (Oxon).

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. [3]

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. [3] She joined the University of Oxford in 2010 as Professor of Archaeological Science and a Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford. [4] [6] She has served as Vice-Head of the School of Archaeology from 2014 to 2016, [6] and was its Head from 2016. [3] She retired from full-time academia in 2019, becoming Professor Emerita of Archaeological Science at Oxford. [7] [8] [9]

Research

Lee-Thorp has been involved in a number of projects in Africa, South America, and Europe. [10] In addition to diet, her more recent research has focused on the role of changing environments and climate on ancient human societies. [10] She has been involved in a number of large-scale projects including the Paleodeserts Project, [11] The Agricultural Origins of Urban Civilization (AGRICURB), [12] , Building a Better Eggtimer. [13] , and A diet for all seasons: the role of intra-annual variability in the evolution hominin diets in East Africa .

Honours

Professor Lee-Thorp was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of South Africa in 2004 Royal Society of South Africa. [14] , and as a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and social sciences. [6] Fellow of the British Academy (FBA), the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and social sciences. [6]

Selected works

References

  1. ↑ "Professor Julia Lee-Thorp". St Cross College. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. ↑ "Professor Julia Lee-Thorp | The British Academy". The British Academy. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Lee-Thorp, Prof. Julia Anne". Who's Who 2018 . Oxford University Press. 1 December 2017. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U267093. ISBN   978-0-19-954088-4.
  4. 1 2 "Professor Julia Lee-Thorp". St Cross College. University of Oxford. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  5. ↑ Lee-Thorp, Julia Anne (1989). Stable carbon isotopes in deep time: the diets of fossil fauna and hominids. Open UCT (Doctoral Thesis). University of Cape Town.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Professor Julia Lee-Thorp". The British Academy. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  7. ↑ Lee-Thorp, Prof. Julia Anne. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2023. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U267093. ISBN   978-0-19-954088-4 . Retrieved 6 December 2023.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  8. ↑ "Lee-Thorp, Prof. Julia Anne, (born 20 April 1951), Professor of Archaeological Science, 2010–19, now Emeritus, and Head, School of Archaeology, 2016–19, University of Oxford; Fellow, St Cross College, Oxford, now Emerita". Who's Who 2024 . Oxford University Press. 1 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "Professor Julia Lee Thorp". School of Archaeology. University of Oxford. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Prof Julia Lee-Thorp – Palaeodeserts". www.palaeodeserts.com. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  11. ↑ "Palaeodeserts – Climate Change and Hominin Evolution in the Arabian Desert". www.palaeodeserts.com. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  12. ↑ "AGRICURB – School of Archaeology – University of Oxford". www.arch.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  13. ↑ "Eggtimer". sites.google.com. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  14. ↑ "Fellows (FRSSAf)". Royal Society of South Africa. December 2017. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
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