Dr. Lisa Maher

Biography

Lisa Maher is an esteemed professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, where she leads the Geoarchaeology Southwest Asia Prehistory Laboratory. Her research is predominantly focused on the archaeology of hunter-gatherer societies in the Old World, particularly in Eastern Mediterranean North Africa. Maher’s work involves reconstructing human-environment interactions during the Late Pleistocene, investigating the transition to food production, and examining the socio-economic implications of these shifts. With a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, Maher held the position of Postdoctoral Fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for Human Evolutionary Studies and the University of Cambridge, where she further developed her expertise in geoarchaeology. Since joining Berkeley in 2012, she has taught various topics, including spatial analysis and human palaeoecology, and has curated the Lithic Collections at the Hearst Museum of Anthropology. Maher's extensive fieldwork includes excavations in Jordan and Cyprus, focusing on the archaeological landscapes that inform our understanding of ancient human behavior and adaptations in changing environments. Maher's significant contributions to the field are reflected in numerous publications exploring lithic technology, subsistence strategies, and the cultural implications of early human adaptations in the Near East.

Research Interests

Experience