Dr Elodie-Laure Jimenez

Dr Elodie-Laure Jimenez is a researcher in prehistoric archaeology with over 15 years of experience studying human–animal interactions and adaptations during the Ice Age. She has excavated at numerous archaeological sites across Europe and has worked on international research projects in Belgium, Scotland, Wales, France, and the USA. Her research focuses on how Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens adapted to changing environments and ecosystems, with particular attention to subsistence strategies, mobility, and ecological relationships Originally from south-western France, she developed an early fascination with the exceptional prehistoric heritage of her home region, which first sparked her interest in archaeology and the deep history of human societies. She went on to study archaeology in Bordeaux, where she built a strong foundation in Ice Age archaeology and prehistoric art. Her research then led her to work for several years on Palaeolithic sites in Dordogne, one of Europe’s key regions for understanding human prehistory and the origins of art She later developed strong laboratory expertise in stable isotope analysis at the University of Aberdeen, where her work focuses on reconstructing animal diets, mobility patterns, and palaeoecological dynamics in order to better understand human subsistence strategies and landscape use during the Late Pleistocene Alongside her academic research, she is deeply engaged in science communication and regularly shares her work with wider audiences through public lectures, writing, and media contributions. She also writes for the press, producing reflective essays at the intersection of archaeology, epistemology, philosophy, and sociology, in which she explores contemporary notions such as modernity, progress, and resilience through a deep-time perspective. Her writing seeks to reconnect present-day concerns with the longue durée of human history, offering a nuanced and humanistic reflection on what prehistory can reveal about our relationship with the living world today.