Michelle Alexander

Michelle Alexander is a Professor of Bioarchaeology at the University of York, specializing in applying stable isotope and biomolecular techniques to study multi-faith societies in the historical periods. Her research focuses on medieval Mediterranean communities, particularly in Spain, Portugal, Italy, and North Africa. She has held roles including Deputy Head of Department and Director of Learning and Teaching. Her work explores diet, human-animal interactions, and socio-cultural transitions through isotopic and genetic analyses.

Education:

• BSc Archaeology, Durham University (2002-2005)
• MSc Biomolecular Archaeology, University of Manchester and Sheffield (2005-2006)
• PhD Durham University (2006-2010), funded by AHRC

Research Interests:

• Stable isotope analysis of human and animal remains
• Ancient DNA studies of domesticated species
• Food systems and socio-cultural change in medieval societies
• Human-animal interaction through biomolecular evidence
• Zooarchaeology and urban provisioning in medieval contexts

Recent Projects:

• Seeing the Dead: Roman gypsum burials in Yorkshire
• The Crop History Consortium: Global crop history research
• Bioarch-HS: Integrating biological and historical data

Advising & Grants: Supervises 9 PhD students and has led projects funded by AHRC, EU, and others. Her work involves collaborative international teams, including projects in Zanzibar and Sicily.

Labs/Teams: Co-director of BioArCh (BioArchaeology Research Group) and part of interdisciplinary teams in biomolecular archaeology and historical ecology.