Amanda C. Leiss

Dr. Amanda C. Leiss serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology and Social Work at Eastern Connecticut State University, specializing in paleoanthropological research on early human ecology through African Paleolithic animal remains.

Education:

• PhD in Anthropology from Yale University
• B.S. in Anthropology from Southern Connecticut State University

Her research integrates Human Evolution, Zooarchaeology, and Isotope Geochemistry to investigate environmental impacts on behavioral transitions like Oldowan-to-Acheulean tool technology shifts and meat-eating origins. Employing paleoecological, morphological, and taphonomic methods, she reconstructs Plio-Pleistocene landscapes at Ethiopia's Gona site (3-1 Ma) to analyze hominin resource utilization during critical phases of Homo erectus evolution and brain expansion.

Dr. Leiss actively promotes science accessibility through Yale Peabody Museum collaborations, Yale Pathways to Science programming, and developing a podcast on science-fiction-ethics intersections. Her consulting practice supports non-traditional academic career paths while providing grant-writing, project management, and event planning services for scientific organizations.

Research Affiliations:

• Gona Paleoanthropological Research Project (Ethiopia, active since 2010)
• Yale Peabody Museum public programming collaborator
• Yale Pathways to Science outreach partner