Nutrition

Reconstructing infant palaeodemography using proteomic approaches

Primary Supervisor: Dr Melandri Vlok
Location: Orange
Keywords: biochemistry, demography, mortality, bioarchaeology, proteomics

Project availability: Semester 60, 2026, Semester 30, 2027

Synopsis:

Southeast Asian prehistoric archaeological human skeletal assemblages typically have excellent infant preservation. Biological sex is well known to factor into infant mortality with males presenting a higher risk of death in early life. Traditional osteological techniques, however, cannot determine the biological sex of archaeological infants as the methods rely on the development of secondary sex characteristics that emerge during puberty. This project applies the use of proteomic methods on determining sex from an early agricultural site in mainland Southeast Asia to assess whether this sex bias in mortality is represented in ancient cemetery populations.

Interested? Start the conversation here by contacting Dr Melandri Vlok mvlok@csu.edu.au

Puberty and stress during the agricultural transition of Southeast Asia

Primary Supervisor:Dr Melandri Vlok
Location: Orange
Keywords: bioarchaeology, endocrinology, growth and development, osteology

Project availability: Semester 60, 2026, Semester 30, 2027

Synopsis:

Assessment of pubertal timing and bone age has been well established in the field of bioarchaeology for a decade. Southeast Asian prehistoric cemetery assemblages represent some of the richest preservation of children and young adults in the world. By combining pre-documented literature with new analysis, this project aims to assess changes in the pubertal timings over the agricultural transition in Mainland Southeast Asia. The project will consider how pubertal timings may have been affected by changes in environment, physiological stress, societal changes and shifts in fertility.

Interested? Start the conversation here by contacting Dr Melandri Vlok mvlok@csu.edu.au

Micronutrient Deficiency during the Metal Period Philippines

Primary Supervisor: Dr Melandri Vlok
Location: Orange
Keywords: bioarchaeology, nutritional disease

Project availability: Semester 30, 2026, Semester 60, 2026, Semester 30, 2027

Synopsis:

In 2025, an individual with disability from the Metal Period in the Philippines (~2000 years ago) was identified to have suffered from scurvy. This project aims to assess whether scurvy was unique to this individual’s circumstances or whether the condition was ubiquitous in the community. The project will involve paleopathological diagnosis and assessment of the impacts of mortality related to the disease in a cemetery sample.

Interested? Start the conversation here by contacting Dr Melandri Vlok mvlok@csu.edu.au