Mathieu Leclerc

Mathieu Leclerc is a Lecturer in Archaeology and ARC DECRA Fellow at the Australian National University (ANU), affiliated with the School of Archaeology & Anthropology (ANU College of Arts & Social Sciences) and the School of Culture, History and Language (ANU College of Asia and the Pacific). He holds a PhD in Archaeology from ANU and degrees from Université de Montréal. His research focuses on Pacific colonization, pottery studies, and biomolecular archaeology, blending lab-based analysis with oral traditions. He leads the Interdisciplinary Pottery Research Group (IPORG) and collaborates with Indigenous communities to study pottery use and diet in Vanuatu.

Education: BA and M.Sc. in Anthropology (Université de Montréal), PhD in Archaeology (ANU).

Research Interests: Pacific Islander migration, Lapita pottery, ceramic analysis using petrography and QEM-EDS, and the integration of traditional knowledge with archaeological data. He explores how pottery fabrics and residues reflect dietary and social changes over millennia, particularly in Vanuatu and the Wallacean islands.

Key Projects: 'Shifting foodways: biomolecular archaeology and oral traditions in Vanuatu' (2025–2027), automated pottery analysis methods, and archaeological excavations across the Pacific. He also contributes to the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures.

Awards: ARC DECRA Fellowship, Associate Investigator in ARC CIEHF.

Labs/Teams: Founder of IPORG, collaborates with global institutions on pottery and biomolecular studies. His work emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to understanding Pacific prehistory through material culture.