Monica N. Ramsey

Monica N. Ramsey is an Assistant Professor in the Anthropology Department at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), where she directs the Ramsey Laboratory for Environmental Archaeology (RLEA). Her research program bridges traditional archaeological methods with cutting-edge computational approaches to study ancient human-plant relationships.

Dr. Ramsey's educational background includes:

• PhD (2015) from the University of Texas at Austin
• MA (2010) from the University of Calgary
• BA (2007) from the University of British Columbia, Okanagan

Specializing in Palaeoethnobotany, Dr. Ramsey employs advanced microbotanical analysis techniques including phytoliths, starches, and starch spherulites to investigate human-environment interactions throughout prehistory. Her work focuses on critical transitions such as the origins of agriculture in the Southern Levant during the Epipaleolithic and Pre-Pottery Neolithic periods, while also examining similar processes in the Canadian Plateau. She pioneers AI applications in archaeological science, developing machine learning algorithms to automate the identification and classification of ancient plant remains.

Dr. Ramsey's publication record demonstrates her interdisciplinary approach, combining archaeological theory with computational methods to address fundamental questions about human adaptation and environmental change.

Her significant research accomplishments have been recognized through:

• CFI John Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) award
• Ontario Research Fund – Research Infrastructure (ORF-RI) Small Infrastructure Fund
• U of T Data Sciences Institute Research Software Development Support Program

As a dedicated mentor, Dr. Ramsey supervises multiple PhD students and leads a diverse research team of undergraduate volunteers from Anthropology, Computer Science, Biology, and Chemistry. Her laboratory currently pursues projects including EMERGENCE, Deep Origins, ML Phytolith ID Workflow, Starch Spherulites, and CERASTONE: Pottery Neolithic Plant-Foodways.

The Ramsey Laboratory for Environmental Archaeology (RLEA) occupies three specialized facilities at UTM: a dirty lab, clean wet lab, and microscope/computing lab. Following 2023 renovations and with access to high-performance computing resources, the RLEA supports advanced environmental analyses with comparative collections focused on the flora of the Near East, East Asia, Mesoamerica, and Ontario.