Amy Styring

Dr. Amy Styring is an Associate Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Oxford, affiliated with St. Cross College. She specializes in isotopic analysis of archaeological remains to reconstruct past human diets, subsistence practices, and environmental interactions. She currently leads the Stable Isotope Lab and is on maternity leave from October 2024 to October 2025.

Her research focuses on carbon/nitrogen isotope analysis of bones, plant remains, and amino acids to study dietary patterns and land use. She has conducted fieldwork in regions including Germany, Sweden, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, France, Romania, Morocco, Senegal, and Ireland. Key projects include investigating plant management in Southwest Asia and isotopic analysis of crop movements in Ethiopia and the Canary Islands.

Teaching responsibilities include undergraduate courses on archaeological inquiry and science-based methods, as well as postgraduate modules in bioarchaeology. She actively supervises doctoral research on topics like Neolithic agropastoral management, prehistoric diets, and palaeodietary biomarkers.

Current projects include ERC-funded PalaeOrigins (2022-2028) and IsoCAN (2019-2024), exploring early plant domestication and island colonization. Past students have examined topics such as Chinese archaeological sites and pig husbandry in the Yellow River region.