Shanti Morell-Hart

Shanti Morell-Hart is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at Brown University, specializing in anthropological archaeology and paleoethnobotany with a focus on Mesoamerican societies. She serves as Director of the Integrated Laboratory for Archaeological Sciences (ILAS) and the Paleoethnobotany Laboratory at Brown (PEBLAB). Her research examines ancient agriculture, plant use in ritual and healthcare, and human-environment interactions, particularly in contexts of societal 'collapse' and resilience.

• Education: PhD in Anthropology (2011, UC Berkeley), MAs (2003 UC Berkeley; 2002 UT San Antonio), BA (1998 Wesleyan University).
• Major Research Areas: Ancient agriculture, ethnoecology, foodways, Maya studies, and archaeological science.

Her funded projects include studies on Maya agricultural practices, resilience in pre-Hispanic landscapes, and interdisciplinary analyses of plant residues. She has received the Sophie Coe Prize (Special Mention) for contributions to food history writing.

Teaching includes courses on the anthropology of food, environmental archaeology, and paleoethnobotanical methods. Collaborations involve projects in Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras, leveraging lidar, phytolith analysis, and spatial technologies to explore ancient lifeways.