Ester Oras

Ester Oras is a dual-appointment professor at the University of Tartu, serving as Professor of Archaeochemistry in both the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (Institute of History and Archaeology) and the Faculty of Science and Technology (Institute of Chemistry). She leads the Archemy Lab, specializing in biomolecular archaeology, integrating analytical chemistry with ancient material culture studies. Her research focuses on lipid and protein analyses of archaeological residues, dietary reconstruction, and isotope-based migration studies. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge (2014) and has extensive international collaborations across Europe and beyond.

Administratively, Oras chairs editorial boards for journals like Journal of Archaeological Science and co-leads the Baltic Biomolecular Archaeology Group. She has received numerous accolades, including the 2024 Woman Scientist of the Year award and the L'Oreal-UNESCO scholarship. Her teaching spans interdisciplinary archaeology, biomolecular methods, and laboratory projects at all academic levels. Oras is also a founding member of the Estonian Young Academy of Sciences and actively promotes gender equality in science through initiatives like the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.

Her research interests bridge natural sciences and humanities, emphasizing the materiality of ritual practices, ancient health, and technological innovation. Key projects include the Riņņukalns Neolithic settlement study in Latvia and bioavailable isotope baseline mapping in Estonia.