Leah Brainerd

I am a computational archaeologist, with interests in the use of quantitative analysis, modelling in archaeology, and cultural evolution. I am a part of the Encounter Project, which is looking at the Jomon-Yayoi transition in Japan and the migration of people and culture occurring throughout this period. My part in the project is to explore the environmental conditions at the Jomon-Yayoi transition. I will be analysing climatic, soil, and pollen data to reconstruct landcover during the period, as well as modelling the suitability and productivity of rice and millet agriculture throughout Japan and its relation to demography during this transition.

I have previously modelled urban tissue using cellular automata based on theories of Medieval Islam architecture and compared with that of the Early Islamic city of Merv, Turkmenistan.