缅北禁地

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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 缅北禁地 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 (缅北禁地) and Simon Chenery (British Geological Survey). Funding: Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, British Academy Small Grant, 缅北禁地.

- ‘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 (缅北禁地) in collaboration with the Epiacum Trust volunteer group. Funding: Royal Archaeological Institute, 缅北禁地.


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

  • Articles

    • Van Asperen EN, Rudge DW, Shillito L-M. . Environmental Archaeology 2025, epub ahead of print.
    • Basumatary, SK, Van Asperen, EN, McDonald, HG, Tripathi, S, Gogoi, R. . The Holocene 2024. In Press.
    • Van Asperen EN, Kirby JR, Shaw HE. . Vegetation History and Archaeobotany 2024, 33, 559-575.
    • Wei Y, Gao G, Jie D, van Asperen E, Song L, Meng M, Yang Z, Chen N, Yu J, Li Y. . Progress in Physical Geography: Earth and Environment 2024, 48(4), 518-535.
    • Blong JC, Whelton HL, van Asperen EN, Bull ID, Shillito L-M. . Frontiers in Ecology And Evolution 2023, 11, 11312694.
    • Gunton R, Hejnowicz AP, Basden A, van Asperen E, Christie I, Hanson D, Hartley SE. . Ecological Economics 2022, 196, 107420.
    • Pokharia AK, Basumatary SK, Thakur B, Tripathi S, McDonald HG, Tripathi D, Tiwari P, Van Asperen E, Spate M, Chauhan G, Thakkar MG, Srivastava A, Agarwal S. . Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 2022, 304, 104700.
    • Van Asperen EN, Brennan J, Reid A. . Current Research in Environmental and Applied Mycology 2022, 12(1), 220-237.
    • Basumatary SK, Gogoi R, Tripathi S, Ghosh R, Pokharia AK, McDonald HG, Sherpa N, van Asperen EN, Agnihotri R, Chhetri G, Saikia K, Pandey A. . Scientific Reports 2021, 11, 18312.
    • Stefaniak K, Stachowicz-Rybka R, Borówka RK, Hrynowiecka A, Sobczyk A, Moskal-del Hoyo M, Kotowski A, Nowakowski D, Krajcarz MT, Billia EME, Persico D, Burkanova EM, Leschinsky SV, van Asperen E, Ratajczak U, Shpansky AV, Lempart M, Wach B, Niska M, van der Made J, Stachowicz K, Lenarczyk J, Kovalchuk O. . Quaternary International 2021, 605-606, 192-212.
    • Shillito L-M, Blong JC, Greene EJ, van Asperen E. . Earth Science Reviews 2020, 207, 103196.
    • Van Asperen EN, Kirby JK, Shaw HE. . The Holocene 2020, 30(2), 218-232.
    • Basumatary SK, Singh H, van Asperen EN, Tripathi S, McDonald HG, Pokharia AK. . Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology 2020, 277, 104208.
    • Boulbes N, Van Asperen EN. . Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 2019, 7, 301.

  • Book Chapter

    • Van Asperen EN, Perrotti A, Baker A. . In: Marret F; O'Keefe J; Osterloff P; Pound M; Shumilovskikh L, ed. Applications of Non-Pollen Palynomorphs from Palaeoenvironmental reconstructions to Biostratigraphy. London, UK: Geological Society/The Micropalaeontological Society, 2021, pp.245-267.

  • Note

    • Blong JC, Whelton HL, van Asperen EN, Bull ID, Shillito L-M. . Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 2023, 11, 1217115.

  • Review

    • Gunton RM, van Asperen EN, Basden A, Bookless D, Araya Y, Hanson DR, Goddard MA, Otieno G, Jones GO. . Trends in Ecology and Evolution 2017, 32(4), 249-257.