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 is currently developing a zooarchaeology and stable isotope prep lab here at UCF.
Research Interests
- Zooarchaeology
- European prehistory
- Origins and spread of agriculture and animal husbandry
- Risk and sustainability
- Paleoecology
- Stable isotope geochemistry