Heather Thakar

Dr. Heather B. Thakar is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Texas A&M University, directing the Archaeobotany & Palynology Laboratories and the Radiocarbon & Isotope Preparation Laboratory. Her research focuses on archaeological theory, evolutionary ecology, and prehistoric foraging societies in the Americas, with specialties in isotope geochemistry and radiocarbon dating. She teaches courses such as ANTH 204 (Prehistoric World) and ANTH 637 (Paleoethnobotany).

Education: PhD in Archaeology, University of California, Santa Barbara (2014).

Research Interests:

• Domestication of plants and animals in Mesoamerica and Central America.
• Coastal and island adaptations, including marine resource use and settlement patterns.
• Isotope analysis and radiocarbon chronology for reconstructing prehistoric diets, land use, and cultural transitions.
• Archaeological ethics, repatriation practices, and Indigenous collaboration.

Key Projects: Principal Investigator of NSF-funded research on Late Pleistocene-Holocene human niche construction in Pacific Central America and foodways reconstruction in Honduras. Co-leads studies on maize domestication genetics and Holocene environmental change.

Advising & Grants: Mentors four current graduate students (Kevin Wann, Chloe Fackler, Bradie Dean, Emma Newman) and has secured multiple NSF grants for collaborative archaeological research. Active in developing ethical frameworks for ancient DNA studies and repatriation advocacy.

Labs: Directs specialized facilities for archaeobotanical analysis and radiocarbon sample preparation, supporting interdisciplinary research in prehistoric ecology and material culture.