Paola Ponce

Dr. Paola Ponce is a Lecturer in Osteoarchaeology at the University of York’s Department of Archaeology, affiliated with the PalaeoHub. She holds a BSc from Universidad Nacional de La Plata (2002), an MSc from Bradford University (2004), and a PhD from Durham University (2010), where she was supported by a Durham Doctoral Fellowship Award. Previously, she worked at Archaeology South-East (UCL) from 2012–2017, analyzing human and cremated remains from Neolithic to post-medieval periods.

Her research focuses on health and disease in past populations, including British, European, and South American groups. Key interests include paleopathology (e.g., Paget’s disease, smallpox identification), funerary archaeology, and the history of medicine. She has investigated topics such as cranial trepanations in Anglo-Saxon England, mercury content in syphilis cases, and isolated Saxon burials.

Dr. Ponce teaches modules like Practical Skills: Human and Animal Bones and contributes to courses on archaeological sciences and skeletal evidence for health. She supervises undergraduate, masters, and PhD students, including Aster Wood’s ongoing thesis on post-Roman health transitions. Her grants include awards from the Society of Antiquaries (2023), Society for Post-Medieval Archaeology (2017), and the Prehistoric Society (2016).

Public engagement includes talks at museums (e.g., The Novium Museum) and collaborations on exhibits, such as the Brighton Museum’s Archaeology Gallery. Media coverage includes articles on the reburial of Quaker remains and analysis of Selsey archaeological sites.