Biography
I gained my BA in Ancient History and Archaeology from the University of Manchester, and an MSc in Skeletal and Dental Bioarchaeology from University College London.
Following this I worked professionally as a commercial field archaeologist, later moving into post-excavation, setting up and running an osteological laboratory.
I moved to the University of Cambridge to undertake a doctorate in Bioarchaeology, investigating taphonomy and the prehistoric use of ochre in burials. My research focused on the cemetery at Khok Phanom Di in central Thailand, which dates to ~4000-3500 BP.
In 2020 I began teaching at Anglia Ruskin University as an Associate Lecturer in Forensic Science and in 2022 was appointed Senior Teaching Associate in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge.
In 2023 I joined the Palaeoanthropology Workgroup at the University of Tübingen as a postdoctoral researcher in the evolution of Hominin behaviour. Returning to Cambridge in 2025 as a Research Associate for the Ng’ipalajem ERC Project.
Research
My research interests surround hominin evolution. My work with the Ng’ipalajem Project investigates new and existing Pleistocene hominin fossils from the Turkana Basin and elsewhere in Africa to investigate adaptive and phylogenetic changes in the last 1.0-1.5 million years.
Other research interests focus on early burial practices, and the development of symbolism. I investigate how ochre (iron oxide pigment) informs about the earliest forms of human cultural expression and how it reflects or reinforces identity and social relationships in prehistoric societies. My research methods combine bioarchaeological investigation and taphonomic experiments.
Key Publications
| Paris, S. and Foley, R. A. (in review) Bone Surface Mapping: a new method for recording detailed human bone surface variation. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory. |
| Paris, S. (in review) Ochre and Identity: an exploration of perinatal mortality and personhood at Khok Phanom Di, central Thailand. Cambridge Archaeological Journal. |
| Clark, J., Timbrell, L., Paris, S., and Linares-Matás, G. (in review) Complex landscapes of cultural evolution: Reexploring the socioecological drivers of technological variation in modern hunter-gatherers. Evolutionary Human Sciences. |
| Paris, S. (2024) Differential ochre use in burials: perinatal mortality and social acknowledgement at Khok Phanom Di, central Thailand. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology. DOI: 10.1002/oa.3348 |
| Paris, S. et al., (2024) St Catharine’s College, 550 Years in the Making. London: Scala. |
| Paris, S. (2021) A Study in Scarlet: A Bioarchaeological Investigation of the Differential Use of Ochre in Burial Practices at Khok Phanom Di, Central Thailand (Doctoral thesis) DOI: 10.17863/CAM.78713 |
Teaching and Supervisions
Coordination of A2 Archaeology in Action and A10 Archaeological Theory and Practice.
