Susan Marie Mentzer

Susan Marie Mentzer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences within the Faculty of Science at the University of Tübingen, specializing in geoarchaeology with emphasis on micromorphological analysis of anthropogenic sediments. She leads the Geoarchaeology research group at the Institute for Archaeological Sciences (INA) and is actively affiliated with the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. in Anthropology with Concentration in Archaeology and Minor in Geosciences from the University of Arizona (2011), an M.A. in Archaeology with Minor in Geosciences from the University of Arizona (2005), and a B.A. in Archaeology and Earth Sciences summa cum laude from Boston University (2003). Her doctoral research focused on the Macro- and Micro-scale Geoarchaeology of Üçağızlı Caves in Turkey.

Mentzer's research integrates micromorphology with micro-FTIR and micro-XRF to analyze Paleolithic caves, Neolithic tells, and experimental materials like plaster and wood ash. Her work spans Eurasian Paleolithic sites, African Middle Stone Age contexts, and ritual spaces, with particular expertise in combustion features, site formation processes, and human-environment interactions during the forager-farmer transition. Recent publications demonstrate methodological innovation in analyzing rockshelters, hearths, and stratigraphic sequences across global contexts from South Africa to Anatolia.

As an Associate Editor for Geoarchaeology, she contributes significantly to scholarly discourse. Her methodological leadership is evident in developing online teaching strategies during the pandemic, as documented in The SAA Archaeological Record.

Mentzer teaches specialized courses including Anthropogenic Deposits and Site Formation Processes, Stratigraphy, Archaeological Micromorphology, and Microanalytics. Her laboratory work involves stable isotope analysis, micro-XRF, and experimental archaeology to reconstruct ancient human behaviors through sediment micromorphology.