Amber VanDerwarker

Dr. Amber VanDerwarker is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), specializing in Archaeology with a focus on Paleoethnobotany and Zooarchaeology. She directs the Integrative Subsistence Laboratory (ISL) and holds affiliations within the College of Letters and Science. Her research explores prehistoric food systems, socio-political complexity, and the impact of warfare on subsistence strategies in Mesoamerica and the Eastern United States. She earned her PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

• Education: PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Research Interests: Mesoamerican and Eastern US archaeology, warfare and food insecurity, gender studies, agricultural intensification

Her work integrates methods like phytolith and starch grain analysis alongside faunal studies. Key projects include avocado domestication in Honduras and food strategies under warfare in Illinois. She has secured NSF grants and UCSB fellowships, mentoring numerous graduate and undergraduate students. The ISL lab facilities include advanced microscopy and microbotanical analysis equipment.

Publications span topics from Olmec agricultural strategies to gender equity in archaeology. She teaches courses on prehistoric food production, Mesoamerican archaeology, and quantitative methods. Current research emphasizes trans-Holocene plant use and cultural responses to environmental challenges.