Emily Zavodny | Anthropology

Biography

Dr. Emily Zavodny is an environmental archaeologist specializing in paleoecology, zooarchaeology, and stable isotope geochemistry. She received her MA and PhD from The Pennsylvania State University and BA from Wake Forest University. She is broadly interested in how prehistoric human and animal populations successfully adapted to uncertainty and risk posed by marginal landscapes, resource scarcity, and/or changing climate and environments. Her ongoing research examines the spread of agriculture and animal husbandry throughout southeast Europe and the long-term impact of these intensive practices on human behavior and local landscapes. Her current research focuses on the introduction and acclimatization of domesticated animals (cattle, sheep, goats, pigs) to different ecosystems in the Balkans and their enduring impact on human behavior and local landscapes. Dr. Zavodny has active field and lab projects based on her ongoing work in Croatia, and directs the Zavodny Isotope Geochemistry and ZooArchaeology Group (ZIGZAG) Lab at UCF.

Research Interests
Working with Dr. Zavodny

Research Interests

Zooarchaeology
European prehistory
Origins and spread of agriculture and animal husbandry
Risk and sustainability
Paleoecology
Stable isotope geochemistry

Working with Dr. Zavodny

My goal as a student advisor and mentor is to encourage your growth as an independent scholar. To this end I work with students to develop original research projects that generate opportunities for first-hand data collection, analysis, and interpretation. I am also committed to preparing my students for their future careers in the archaeological sciences and related fields, whether that is in the academic, government, or private sectors. My students should expect to learn how to write grant proposals, present at professional conferences, and publish in discipline-specific journals. I will be accepting motivated students interested in applying environmental archaeology, paleoecology, osteology, and/or stable isotope analyses to research questions within European archaeology. I am also open to working with students on these subjects in other geographic regions. Interested students can contact me directly at emily.zavodny@ucf.edu.

Dr. Zavodny is looking for graduate students with an interest in:

European prehistory; origins and spread of agriculture and animal husbandry; risk and sustainability; paleoecology; stable isotope geochemistry; zooarchaeology

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