Staff

Alexis is a third-year undergraduate student studying anthropology and art history. Ever since she was young, Alexis was obsessed with archaeology and loves following her true passion. When not attending Mizzou, Alexis lives in Blue Springs with her cat, Solitaire, and her partner, Ian. Alexis owns a small crafting business and in her free time loves playing video games, beekeeping, and hiking. She hopes to find a career in CRM or museum management in the future.

Stephen Czujko is a Ph.D. candidate at the Archaeometry Laboratory at MURR. He is completing his Ph.D. in Ancient Mediterranean Studies at the University of Missouri, here in Columbia. His research focuses on ceramic craft production in the eastern Mediterranean during the Late Bronze Age. He is interested in the use of instrument-based geochemical and mineralogical techniques for the characterization of different technical actions necessary to pottery making. Currently, he also works for Dr. Renson of MURR, in the Archaeometry Laboratory’s clean room.

Alejandro J. Figueroa joined the Archaeometry Laboratory at MURR in 2021 as a National Science Foundation SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellow. His postdoctoral research focuses on investigating the various dimensions of ochre and obsidian exchange among small-scale societies in central Honduras. Using a number of specialized archaeometric techniques (NAA, pXRF, pRaman, and SEM-EDS) and a combination of field, collections, and laboratory work, this project is reconstructing the networks used to procure, distribute, and use these key geological resources. Ultimately, this research uses the long-term perspective provided by archaeology to better understand what exchange networks can tell us about how small-scale societies navigated the competing demands for (in)equality, reciprocity, cohesion, and conflict. Equally as important, Dr. Figueroa’s postdoctoral project provides opportunities for training and collaboration with students and researchers in Honduras and the US and local indigenous communities in the use and application of archaeometric techniques and in the study and protection of archaeological heritage.

Lee’s research interests are focused on Mississippian period social exchange networks within St. Johns II contexts of late-prehistoric northeastern Florida.

Samantha Mahan is a PhD student in the Chemistry Department at the University of Missouri–Columbia. Her research is focused on the applications of different analytical techniques to archaeological materials and how they can inform us on people in the past. One of her current projects is on the identification of iron oxide (ochre) pigments from rock arts site in Eswatini by SEM-EDS. Raman spectroscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy. Another interest of hers is organic analysis by various mass spectrometric methods, such as compositional analysis of binding media in rock art.

Mallory is a sophomore majoring in Chemistry. She works as a lab technician preparing vials for ICP-MS using clean room techniques and preparing ochre and pottery samples for NAA. She enjoys learning about the intersection of analytical sciences and cultural heritage through her work at the Archaeometry Laboratory.

Rachel is a sophomore majoring in Anthropology with a minor in Natural Resources Science and Management. She works in the Archaeometry lab as a laboratory assistant, preparing samples for analysis. She is also a Discovery Fellow with the Honors College as an undergraduate research assistant.

Caitlyn Pallas (she/her) is a PhD student in the Classics, Archaeology, and Religion Department at the University of Missouri–Columbia. Her research focuses on Roman concrete, particularly the composition and recipes used in the Late Republican and Early Imperial periods. Caitlyn uses a variety of techniques offered at the laboratory to investigate concrete, including that of NAA and Ramen spectroscopy. She has conducted fieldwork at the sites of Gabii and Pompeii.

Jay joined MURR as a postdoctoral fellow in January 2023. His research focuses on the archaeometallurgical record of southern Africa and applies geochemical and archaeometric methods to infer their geological source(s) and reconstruct the technologies employed during the production of these metal objects. By integrating data spanning the chaîne opératoire – from resource procurement to production, use, and deposition – Jay aims to reconstruct the networks and behaviors responsible for producing and moving metal objects. Rather than focus on one specific period or region, Jay’s work takes a macro and diachronic approach to understand how participating communities across southern Africa negotiated their access to materials in the face of diverse social changes (e.g., the rise of states, mass migration, and arrival of European colonial powers). Like many at MURR, Jay is committed to broadening the accessibility of the archaeological sciences through training and collaboration with students and researchers in Africa, the US, and other locations around the globe.

Haruan Straioto is a PhD candidate at the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at the University of São Paulo (USP). His research focuses on applying geochemical and petrographic analyses to characterize and trace the provenance of lithic raw materials from the Brazilian Plateau. He primarily studies hunter-gatherer groups that inhabited the eastern region of South America during the Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene. His objective is to employ archaeometric techniques to identify the raw materials used in tool production, determine their sources, and explore their relationship with the mobility patterns of these groups.