Jennifer Gates-Foster

Jennifer Gates-Foster is an Associate Professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH). She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan (2005) and has held positions at the University of Texas at Austin and Cambridge University. Her research focuses on the archaeology of Hellenistic and Roman Egypt and the Near East, with expertise in ancient economies, material culture, and desert networks. She leads the European Research Council’s Desert Networks of Egypt project and the Catawba Vale Collaborative in North Carolina.

Education: B.A. in Anthropology and Archaeology (University of Virginia), M.A. and Ph.D. in Classical Art and Archaeology (University of Michigan).

Research Interests: Her work examines trade routes, settlement patterns, and identity through material remains. Recent projects include analysis of Ptolemaic desert settlements and Roman-era sites in Israel. She emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches, combining fieldwork with archival research.

Grants & Collaborations: Recipient of the Tanner Teaching Award (2017) and Loeb Research Grant (2011). Active in community-driven projects like the Catawba Vale Collaborative, linking archaeology to regional development.

Labs/Teams: Co-director of the Horvat Omrit excavation in Israel and leader of the Desert Networks project, focusing on Egypt’s Eastern Desert. Engages students in fieldwork and community archaeology initiatives.