Julia Meister

Prof. Dr. Julia Meister is a leading academic in the field of Geoarchaeology and Human-Environment Interactions, currently serving as the Substitute Chair of Physical Geography and Landscape Studies at the Institute of Geography, University of Bamberg since 2024/2025. Her career spans multiple institutions including Julius-Maximilians-University Würzburg, where she held a Junior Professorship in Geoarchaeology and Quaternary Research since 2018.

• Education: PhD in Physical Geography (Freie Universität Berlin, 2016), Master's in Physical Geography (Freie Universität Berlin, 2011), Bachelor's in Geographical Sciences (Freie Universität Berlin, 2009)

Research Focus: Dr. Meister specializes in ancient water management systems, terrace agriculture, and pastoral mobility patterns across diverse regions including the Peruvian Andes, Egyptian Nile Delta, and Mediterranean. Her work integrates phytolith analysis, geophysical surveying, and multi-proxy studies to reconstruct past environments and human adaptations.

Recent Publications demonstrate her expertise in Quaternary research, soil degradation in ancient agricultural systems, and geoarchaeological methodologies. Her studies span from Bronze Age cereal storage in Transylvania to Holocene landscape reconstructions at Bubastis, Egypt.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Science Prize for Physical Geography (Prof. Dr. Frithjof Voss Foundation, 2023)
  • Postdoc Award (German Society for Geomorphology, 2022)
  • Dissertation Prize (Freie Universität Berlin, 2017)
  • Best Poster Award (2016)
  • Young Scientist Award (2014)

Committee Involvement: Managing Editor of E&G Quaternary Science Journal (since 2025), Board member of the Hanna Bremer Foundation (2023–present), and advisory roles in DEUQUA, DGGM, and Earth Surface Processes and Landforms editorial board.