Matthew Collins

Professor Matthew Collins is McDonald Professor of Palaeoproteomics in the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, and Professor at the Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen. He is presently on sabbatical from Cambridge for the Michaelmas and Lent Terms 2024/25.

Education

• PhD (1986) – Bangor University: Taphonomic processes in a deep-water Modiolus-brachiopod assemblage from the west coast of Scotland

Research Overview

Collins is a pioneer in the application of biomolecular techniques to archaeological questions, focusing on the survival, detection and interpretation of ancient proteins and DNA. His work integrates palaeoproteomics, ZooMS (zooarchaeology by mass spectrometry), immunology and stable-isotope approaches to explore topics ranging from collagen degradation kinetics and parchment identification to ancient human and animal microbiomes.

Key Research Themes

• Protein diagenesis: racemization kinetics, thermal history modelling and collagen preservation.
• ZooMS and collagen fingerprinting: rapid, minimally destructive identification of bone, parchment, eggshell and other collagen-based materials.
• Ancient microbiomes: dental-calculus and coprolite metagenomics to reconstruct oral and gut microbiota across millennia.
• Cultural heritage: molecular identification of medieval parchment, mummy wrappings, beeswax and leather objects.

Scientific Awards & Recognition

• Pomerance Award for Scientific Contributions to Archaeology (2022)
• Fellow of the British Academy (2014)
• Member of the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters (2021)
• Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (2022)

Institutional & Collaborative Roles

Collins founded BioArCh (Biology, Archaeology, Chemistry) at the University of York before moving to Cambridge and Copenhagen. He is active in open-science initiatives, leads the PALAEOME research network, and advises numerous international projects on biomolecular authentication and analysis.