Dr. Zachary Dunseth

Associate Professor

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Biography

Zachary C. Dunseth is an experienced field archaeologist specializing in geoarchaeology and phytolith science, particularly in desert environments of the ancient southern Levant. His research explores the long-term trajectories of human-animal-environmental interactions in deserts, focusing on how people lived, thrived, and adapted to arid environments amid climatic, environmental, and social change. Dunseth's work focuses on the microscopic physical and chemical fingerprints left in archaeological sediments, utilizing this information to explore questions of mobility, subsistence, and plant, animal, and metal economies at local and regional scales. His primary regional focus is the eastern Mediterranean, where he has supervised excavations at world-famous sites in modern Israel, including Megiddo, Kiriath Jearim, and Arad. Over the years, he has worked on more than a dozen sites in the Negev Highlands and has ongoing interdisciplinary collaborations and active legacy projects in Jordan, Syria, Cyprus, Sardinia (Italy), and the southwestern United States.

Research Interests

Requirements for University of California, San Diego

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Total
Required:85
IELTS
Overall
Required:7
Duolingo
Overall Score
Required:120
Overall
Required:120
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree in physical, biological, or earth sciences, mathematics, or engineering. Differential and integral calculus. One year of calculus-based physics with laboratory. One year of chemistry with laboratory.
Application Checklist
  • Statement of Purpose (max 2 pages)
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Application fee ($135 domestic / $155 international)
Specialization Notes

Administered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Curricular groups include Climate-Ocean-Atmosphere (COAP), Geosciences (GEO), and Ocean Biosciences (OBP).