Magdalena Matczak

Dr. Magdalena Matczak is a Research Fellow at the University of Liverpool specializing in bioarchaeology and the social history of disability in medieval and early modern Europe. Her work integrates archaeological, historical, and ethnographic methodologies to reconstruct lifeways and deathways of disabled individuals in Central Europe through skeletal analysis and interdisciplinary synthesis.

Her academic foundation includes:

• MA in Archaeology from Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan
• MA in History from Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan
• PhD in Archaeology from Adam Mickiewicz University (awarded January 2016)

Dr. Matczak's research centers on social perceptions of disease/disability, folk medical classifications, and burial customs of disabled individuals in medieval contexts. She investigates how afflictions like leprosy and gigantism influenced social status, medical practices, and atypical burials, bridging biological evidence with cultural narratives through the biohumanities framework.

Her recent publications reveal consistent focus on disability in early medieval Poland, analyzing skeletal dysplasia, anti-vampire burial practices, and community archaeology. These works demonstrate methodological innovation through multidisciplinary integration of osteological data, historical records, and ethnographic parallels to challenge contemporary disability definitions.

Her research recognition includes:

• Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (European Commission, 2018-2021)
• Fellowships at Cambridge University and UC Berkeley

As principal investigator for the 'DIS-ABLED' project and prior work on early medieval Polish sites, she secured significant European Commission funding. Her fieldwork spans 11 expeditions including UNESCO sites in Greece and Poland through the Cambridge Keros Project. She actively contributes to public discourse via media engagements with Polish Radio, TOK FM, and KJZZ, and serves as reviewer for leading journals including the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

Her international collaborations involve Arizona State University and Adam Mickiewicz University through teams led by Dr. Jessica Pearson, Professor Jane Buikstra, and Professor Andrzej Marek Wyrwa, establishing cross-institutional frameworks for bioarchaeological disability research.