Gina Palefsky

Assistant Director of Research at the Augustana University Archaeology Laboratory

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States

About

As Assistant Director of Research at the Augustana University Archaeology Laboratory, I collaborate on state and federal contract research projects, oversee campus-wide repatriation efforts under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), and teach undergraduate coursework in anthropology and writing.

Experience

  • Senior Archaeologist at Augustana University (SD)
    Aug 2023 - Nov 2024 · 1 yr 4 mos

  • University of California, Merced ()
    • Teaching Fellow
      May 2019 - Sep 2023 · 4 yrs 5 mos

      Developed curriculum for two courses in the Department of Anthropology & Heritage Studies: "Introduction to Biological Anthropology" and "Archaeology of Food"

    • Researcher
      Aug 2015 - Sep 2023 · 8 yrs 2 mos

      Conducted international fieldwork and laboratory analyses for doctoral research in Lopburi, Thailand using archaeological chemistry to study ancient diet (stable isotope analysis) and mobility/migration (radiogenic isotope analysis) Project: "Embodied Boundaries: A Bioarchaeological Approach to Foodways and Community Organization in Central Thailand" • Developed international collaboration with Thai and Italian colleagues to study archaeological materials from central Thailand • Carried out all stages of the research process: research design, international permitting, sample collection (archaeological human tissues), and analysis (IRMS) at the Stable Isotope Ecosystems Lab of the University of California, Merced . • Analyzed, interpreted, and visualized data; presented results at international conferences; published in peer-reviewed journal • Trained and supervised undergraduate researchers in field data collection and lab methods in stable isotope analysis • Grant writing (successfully achieved grant and fellowship funding totaling $62,570 USD)

  • Museum Assistant at Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology
    Jan 2014 - May 2015 · 1 yr 5 mos

    • Assisted with documentation and curation of human osteological collections

  • Laboratory Assistant at University of California, Berkeley
    Jan 2014 - May 2015 · 1 yr 5 mos

    • Prepared samples for stable isotope analysis for Dr. Melanie Miller (Agarwal Skeletal Biology Lab) and Dr. Jillian Swift (Kirch Oceanic Archaeology Lab)