Dr. Joshua Oliver

Assistant Professor

Build a Statement of Purpose

Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Joshua Oliver. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.

Biography

Joshua Oliver is a dendroclimatologist whose research focuses on using woody material to build multi-centennial to millennial length climate records from tree rings. He received his PhD from the University of Western Australia in Plant Sciences, where he developed the first-ever long-term climate reconstruction utilizing eucalypt tree rings. His sub-disciplines include quantitative wood anatomy, analysis of cellular attributes of lignified tissues, and tree ring stable isotope analysis. His primary work involves the production of tree ring chronologies from various tree species and climate regimes worldwide, with a focus on sourcing archaeological structures from sub-fossilized material to extend chronological records further into the past. Previously, he has utilized existing chronologies to accurately date timber used in the construction of historically and culturally significant structures in the United States, providing certainty regarding the establishment years of these edifices. Currently, at Cornell, he focuses on building separate, regional-based radiocarbon calibration curves to date archaeological Holocene wood material, contrasting them with all-encompassing curves used in Northern Hemisphere projects in recent years. He is also producing tree ring reconstructions from Cypriot sources to understand the climatic underpinnings of the eastern Mediterranean region.

Research Interests

Courses

CLASS 3750: Introduction to Dendrochronology CLASS 6755: Archaeological Dendrochronology

Requirements for Cornell University

Master Program
Requirements
TOEFL
Listening
Required:15
Reading
Required:20
Writing
Required:20
Speaking
Required:22
Total
Required:100
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in Architecture or related field
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Portfolio (SlideRoom)
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Personal Statement
  • Transcripts
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

Department of Architecture