Laura Banducci

Laura Banducci is an Associate Professor in the Department of Greek and Roman Studies at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, within the College of the Humanities, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. She holds a B.A. from McMaster University, an M.Phil from the University of Cambridge, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Classical Art and Archaeology from the University of Michigan. She is the Coordinator and Undergraduate Advisor for the archaeology program and advises students on fieldwork opportunities.

• B.A., McMaster University
• M.Phil, University of Cambridge
• M.A., University of Michigan
• M.A., University of Michigan
• Ph.D., University of Michigan

Her research centers on Roman Republican and Etruscan archaeology, with a focus on foodways, artifact life cycles, and material culture. She employs methods such as use-wear analysis, ceramic petrography, 3D modeling, and quantitative techniques to study ancient dining, production, and disposal practices. Her work emphasizes how daily behaviors reflected in material remains illuminate broader societal changes.

Her recent publications and projects reveal a strong trend in the analysis of Roman ceramics, particularly in domestic and funerary contexts, with increasing integration of digital tools and open-access data dissemination. Themes include artifact functionality, urban development at Gabii, and the preservation of legacy excavation data.

Scientific Awards and Recognitions:

• Margo Tytus Visiting Scholar, University of Cincinnati (2022)

Dr. Banducci is actively involved in mentoring students and securing research funding. She leads the Gabii Project’s Finds program and co-directs multiple international collaborations, including the Gabii Legacy Data Project and CaLC-Rome. Her research is supported by an Insight Grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (2023–2026) and an Ontario Early Researcher Award (2022–2027). She also advises on Carleton’s minor in archaeology and promotes student participation in fieldwork.

She is a member of Carleton’s collaborative programs in Digital Humanities and Food Studies, and her lab work at Gabii integrates students into cutting-edge archaeological science and data digitization efforts.