Dr. Neil Duncan is an archaeologist and paleoethnobotanist with special interests in historical ecology, foodways, and rituals involving food. His current research is focused on understanding the complex interplay of agriculture and landscape domestication in southwestern Amazon, the Llanos de Mojos of Bolivia, using sediment coring and field sampling for phytoliths in permanent wetlands. He is also conducting research at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station examining past subsistence at prehistoric sites on the cape.
Working with Dr. Duncan:
I am committed to mentoring and advising students in research in paleoethnobotany and archaeology. I work with students to engage them in independent research that is scholarly and intellectually rewarding, and furthermore practical for the degree that they are seeking. I strongly emphasize methodology in paleoethnobotany and rigorous scientific approaches. However, as an anthropological archaeologist, I am also interested social, cultural, and symbolic aspects of human societies. Interested students are welcome to contact me directly: neil.duncan@ucf.edu
Dr. Duncan is looking for students interested in:
- Archaeology in the Americas
- Paleoethnobotany and Archaeobotany
- Phytoliths, Starch Grains, Plant Macro-remains
- Foodways, Cuisine, Feasting
- Historical Ecology
- Plant Domestication
- The Andes, Amazon
Examples of projects conducted by Dr. Duncan’s students:
- Coring in the southwestern Amazon
- Starch and phytolith analyses of ceramic residue from lowland Bolivia, Florida, and Kansas
- Phytolith analysis of sediments