I am a primate archaeologist and Leverhulme Early Career Fellow with a background in archaeology, primatology, and anthropology. I am interested in the archaeology of non-human primate tool-use and culture, with a focus on its exciting contributions to human origins research. My expertise spans chimpanzee plant technology (termite-fishing), stone technology (nut-cracking), and the formation of technological landscapes, using a range of archaeological and primatological approaches including raw material studies, landscape archaeology, behavioural ecology, and agent-based modelling.

For my current project “Primate Archaeology Beyond Technology: Delving Deeper into our Primate Heritage”, I am leading the very first investigation into the archaeology of non-technological chimpanzee behaviours, providing the first glimpse of what is yet to be unearthed from our distant past.

Through ongoing collaborations, I remain involved in the archaeological research of chimpanzee termite-fishing in Tanzania, which is contributing towards our knowledge of perishable tool use and its relevance to human evolution and our technological origins. I am a National Geographic Explorer, an active member of the IUCN SSC PSG SGA Working Group for Chimpanzee Cultures, and an associate researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center for Archaeology and Evolution of Human Behaviour (ICArEHB) in Portugal.