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Albert Cristóbal, Rosa María
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ICREA Research Professor at UB (Universitat de Barcelona). Humanities
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Born in Barcelona, I defended my PhD, which I developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science, at the University of Barcelona in 1999 with the title: "Study of ash layers through phytolith analyses from the Middle Palaeolithic levels of Kebara and Tabun caves". I conducted my postdoctoral research at the Centre d'Etude Préhistoire, Antiquité, Moyen-Age (CEPAM) from the CNRS. The most important contribution concerning my PhD and postdoctoral research was the setting of a new methodological approach, using phytolith analyses, to recognize fire remains not visible to the naked eye. The proposed protocol included a new approach to identify and quantify the plant material used to set up the fires. This research was acknowledged in 2005 with the Blecua award (UB) to the best paper derived from thesis dissertation. In 2009 I obtained my credit as a full Professor from the Quality Catalan Agency. Since 1995 I direct the Research Group for Paleoecological and Geoarchaeological Studies (GEPEG).
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Research Interests
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GEPEG, formed by 13 researchers from different institutions such as the University of Barcelona, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and the University of the Witwatersrand, brings in a variety of scientific expertise in various disciplines such as Archaeology, Chemistry, Physics, Botany and Biology. Among GEPEG objectives is the study of minerals, organics and other biological remains such as plants and bones, including their physical and chemical properties and age to contribute with a better understanding about site-formation processes as well as past human settlement and subsistence patterns. GEPEG follows three main lines of research: i) The study of Fire in Prehistory, ii) The reconstruction of paleoenvironment during African Hominin Evolution and iii) Agriculture and domestication practices. In 2009, the group was recognized as a Consolidated Quality Research Group by the Generalitat de Catalunya (2009 SGR 1418). More information on GEPEG can be found in www.gepeg.org.
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KeyWords
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Prehistory, Archaeology, Paleolandscape reconstruction, Vegetal resources, Phytoliths, geoarchaeology, first hominins
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