Christyann M. Darwent

Christyann M. Darwent is a Professor and Evolutionary Anthropology Wing Chair in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on zooarchaeology, particularly human adaptation to arid, high Arctic, and coastal environments. She directs the Zooarchaeology Lab and manages the Peter D. Schulz Osteoichthyology collection. She serves as a graduate advisor for the Forensic Science Graduate Group and previously edited Arctic Anthropology (2012–2022).

Education: Ph.D., Anthropology (University of Missouri–Columbia, 2001); M.A., Archaeology (Simon Fraser University, Canada, 1995); B.Sc., Archaeology (University of Calgary, Canada, 1992).

Research interests include analyzing faunal remains to understand subsistence strategies and past environments. Her fieldwork spans western Alaska, Greenland, and Nunavut, with notable collaborations at Iita (Greenland) and Shaktoolik (Alaska). Recent work explores Indigenous marine mammal use, coastal adaptations, and Arctic migration patterns through genetic and zooarchaeological methods.

Awards include the 2020 UC Davis Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award and the 2015 Dean’s Leadership Award. She has secured over 10 NSF Polar Programs grants since 2003, supporting interdisciplinary field and lab research. Teaching spans undergraduate and graduate courses in archaeology, forensic science, and anthropological theory.

Labs and teams: Zooarchaeology Lab, Comparative Skeletal Collection, and collaborations with the Greenland National Museum and Bowdoin College.