Personal profile
Research interests
I am Director of Research in the Department of Prehistory and the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). My research combines zooarchaeology, light stable isotopes (organic and inorganic) and organic residue analysis to derive ecological and dietary information on past societies. I am particularly interested in the emergence of food production and the role of coastal and ocean environments to early societies in South America and southern Europe. I am the PI of the ERC-Consolidator project TRADITION, and the research group EarlyFoods (SGR-2011) at UAB. In addition, I am co-leading several research projects including ChemArch (MSCA-ITN-EJD), ANIMAL FARM (PID2020-115715GB-I00), and the Societal Challenge OCEANS (Ziveri & Colonese) of the Maria de Maeztu (2020-2023) Unit of Excellence, accredited to ICTA by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO). My research team includes PhDs, postdocs and technicians funded by distinct competitive grants (ERC-CoG, Marie Sklowdoska-Curie Actions, FPI, Maria de Zambrano, Beatriu de Pinos, etc).
Education/Academic qualification
Ph. D., University of Siena
2002 → 2006
Award Date: 1 Jun 2006
Degree
1997 → 2002
Award Date: 1 Jul 2002
External positions
Permanent Lecturer position in Bioarchaeology, University of York
2017 → 2019
AHRC-Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of York
2014 → 2016
Marie Curie Research Fellow, University of York
2011 → 2013
Jae-Doc Research Associate , Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científias. Instituto Milà i Fontanals. Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia.
2008 → 2011
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 2 Zero Hunger
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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SEACHANGE: Quantifying the impact of major cultural transitions on marine ecosystem functioning and biodiversity
Colonese , A. C. (Principal Investigator)
1/03/24 → 30/09/27
Project: International research project
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NEARCOAST: Neanderthal coastal adaptations in southern Europe and eastern Asia
Colonese , A. C. (Principal Investigator) & García Escárzaga, A. (Beneficiary)
European Commission (EC), MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship
1/09/23 → 31/08/25
Project: International research project
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PACHAMAMA: Paleodietary analyses of the first Andean cities: high-resolution assessment to macronutrients using a multiproxy approach.
Colonese , A. C. (Principal Investigator) & Pezo Lanfranco, L. N. (Beneficiary)
European Commission (EC), MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship
1/10/22 → 30/09/24
Project: International research project
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CHEMARCH: ChemArch: The organic chemistry and molecular biology of archaeological artefacts - CHEMARCH
Saña Segui, M. (Principal Investigator), Colonese , A. C. (Co-Investigador/a Principal), Pique Huerta, R. (Investigator), Rosell Melé, A. (Investigator), Thimbleby ., E. J. (Beneficiary), Hansen ., J. (Beneficiary), Bertin ., I. J. (Beneficiary), Di Muro ., A. (Beneficiary) & Cantelli , M. (Beneficiary)
1/03/21 → 28/02/25
Project: International research project
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TRADITION: Long-term coastal adaptation, food security and poverty alleviation in Latin America (TRADITION)
Colonese , A. C. (Principal Investigator), Mcgrath , K. M. (Investigator), Fossile, T. (Researcher on contract), Toso ., A. M. (Researcher on contract), Firme Herbst Gerhardinger, D. (Researcher on contract), Cavaleri Gerhardinger, L. (Researcher on contract), Brodie Rudolph, T. K. (Investigator) & Santos da Silva, L. G. (Assessor)
European Commission (EC), ERC Consolidator Grant
1/09/19 → 31/08/25
Project: International research project
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Isotopes and human organizational diversity in South America
Tessone, A., Colonese, A. C., Delgado, M. E., Pezo-Lanfranco, L., Santana-Sagredo, F. & Barberena, R., Feb 2026, In: Journal of Archaeological Science. 186, 16 p., 106460.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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Molecular and zooarchaeological identification of 5000 year old whale-bone harpoons in coastal Brazil
McGrath, K., Montes, T. A. K. D. S., Fossile, T., da Rocha Bandeira, D., Borba, F. M., Cremer, M. J., van der Sluis, L. G., Higham, T., Klahold Rosa, A. P., Saña, M. & Colonese, A. C., 9 Jan 2026, In: Nature communications. 17, 1, p. 48 14 p., 48.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Downloads (Pure) -
Evaluating the culinary significance of maize in the Araucanía, Southern Chile. Evidence from organic residue analysis of pre-colonial pottery
Montalvo-Cabrera, J. A., Campbell, R., Colonese, A. C., Palma, G., Lucquin, A., Talbot, H. M., Serna, A., Roa Solís, C., Admiraal, M. & Craig, O. E., Jan 2025, In: Journal of Archaeological Science. 173, 11 p., 106118.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)1 Downloads (Pure) -
Feasting on fish. Specialized function of pre-colonial pottery of the Cerritos mound builders of southern Brazil
Admiraal, M., Colonese, A. C., Milheira, R. G., Di Muro, A., Talbot, H. M., Lucquin, A. & Craig, O. E., 5 Feb 2025, In: PloS one. 20, 2 February, 14 p., e0311192.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access3 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)2 Downloads (Pure) -
Identifying communal interaction and mobility in the peruvian central coast through strontium isotope analysis of human individuals in Huaca 20
Vega Centeno, R., Pezo-Lanfranco, L., le Roux, P. & Colonese, A. C., Feb 2025, In: Journal of archaeological science: reports. 61, 12 p., 104889.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Link opens in a new tab Citations (Scopus)1 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Di Muro et al., Culinary diversity in early modern Brazil revealed by residue analysis of ceramic artefacts.
Di Muro ., A. (Creator) & Colonese , A. C. (Creator), 18 Nov 2025
https://zenodo.org/records/17490448
Dataset
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South American Archaeological Isotopic Database (SAAID)
Pezo Lanfranco, L. N. (Creator), Colonese , A. C. (Creator), Fossile, T. (Creator), Mut, P. (Creator), Quispe, J. C. C. (Creator) & Fernandes, R. (Creator), CORA.Repositori de Dades de Recerca, 2023
DOI: 10.34810/data602
Dataset
Organisations
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Evolution and impact of early food production systems - EarlyFoods
Organisational unit: Research Group