GRANTS > $100k:
2022-2024 Associate Investigator: Embodied Colonialism: Biohistories of 19th-century Pakeha and Chinese Migrants to New Zealand Marsden Fast-Start, $360,000 (21-UOO-030), PI: Dr AME Snoddy, University of Otago
"Embodied Colonialism" will explore how migration to Aotearoa impacted the health of 19th century Pākehā and Chinese peoples. Recent exhumations of early settlers and gold miners from Otago cemeteries have provided a unique opportunity to learn who these people were. Bioarchaeological techniques, including microscopic analysis of bone and teeth, amplification of pathogen DNA, and evidence of pathology in the skeletons will be integrated with archival research to reconstruct the biological history of each migrant, from stresses suffered during childhood in their “home” country to their death in New Zealand, revealing the biosocial effects of migration and environmental adaptation.
2019-2022: Principal investigator: Ancient bone metabolism change with lifestyle in Asia-Pacific ARC DECRA, $381,210 (DE190100068)
This project aims to address a significant gap in our current knowledge of global change in skeletal health throughout recent human history. By contributing the first bone microstructural data for archaeological humans from across Asia-Pacific, this project aims to map the ways in which these ancient humans grew and adapted to different lifestyles. The project expects to identify new ways of predicting human bone health response to environmental and cultural change, contributing models for the well-being of past, living, and future human generations.
2019-2022: Associate investigator: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times: A Biocultural investigation of 19th century Frontier mining cemeteries in Australia, New Zealand and California Marsden Project Grant $827,000 (18-UOO-028), PI: Prof HR Buckley, University of Otago
Thousands of people left the Old World in the 19th century to take part in the gold rushes in California USA, Victoria, Australia and Otago, New Zealand. While early rush participants were often of European descent, other ethnicities participated, especially the Chinese. It was both the best of times and the worst of times, with the promise of easy wealth but the risk of sickness or violent death. Although historical records document the hardships of mining life, they are often silent on roles played by women, children, and the disenfranchised. Archaeology is often the sole avenue of enquiry for these ‘voices’, but here too there are gaps. Goldfields archaeology is extensive, however, the distinct cultural identity of individuals is often masked by a common material culture and health is rarely examined. Bioarchaeology, the analysis of archaeological human skeletal remains, adds to the historical narrative through direct biological evidence. Historic cemeteries provide a wealth of biological and cultural information, illuminating the lives of people during this time. We will explore adaptations to mining life in all these Pacific Rim regions by analysing the mortuary ritual of the communities, quality of life of the people, and the landscapes in which they lived.
2018: Principal investigator: Microscopy of the primate skeleton ANU Major Equipment Grant $135,000 (18MEC26), CIs: A Behie, M Oxenham, ANU
This grant funded one major piece of microscopy equipment (Olympus LEXT OLS5000 3D Measuring Laser Microscope System) to allow ANU biological anthropologists undertake non-destructive, non-contact surface scanning of primate bones and teeth. One key line of research within biological anthropology is the study of human and non-human primate (hereafter “primate”) skeletons. Both bone and dental samples representing fossilised, archaeological, or living primates offer a wealth of information about our biology and adaptation to intrinsic (e.g. health and disease) and environmental (e.g. stress, seasonality) factors over the course of human evolution and more recent history. Microscopic techniques are fundamental in this line of research enquiry as they allow us to reconstruct primate growth from preserved cells and other micro-structures which are, ultimately, the most direct indicators of metabolic activity in a living organism. Biological anthropologists at the ANU constitute the only research group in Australia with the requisite complementary mix of expertise, which is actively engaged in tackling these research questions.
GRANTS < $100k:
2021-2022: Associate Investigator: Living on the Edge: Health in a Marginal Community During the Protohistoric (500-800AD) Social Transition in Northeast Thailand, University of Otago Research Grant $39,214 NZD, PI: S Halcrow, Otago
The study of human skeletal remains from ancient populations allows us to fully understand how the interplay of social inequality and marginality impacts modern human wellbeing. Skeletal remains preserve information on health, and when contextualized with archaeological and historical information, they shed light on how our ancestors adapted to social change. This study will investigate how the rapid rise of inequality in prehistory impacted health in the marginal community of Ban Krabeuang, northeast Thailand. It will combine isotopic indicators of diet and mobility with innovative microscopic methods for studying skeletal stress markers to explore the interacting influences on health. We will conduct this research using a biocultural intersectional approach, which allows the exploration of how different aspects of the identity interacted to shape individual experiences and health. This study will enhance both modern and archaeological understandings of inequality in marginalised groups.
2020-2021: Co-nvestigator: Polythetic Micro-analytical Toolkit (PMT) for archaeological and bioanthropological sciences, ANU Intrepid Methodologies Strategic Theme $16,420, CIs: M Leclerc, T Denham, ANU
The aim of this project is to develop a suite of complementary analytical methods based on microscopic visualisation. This analytical approach will allow bioanthropologists and archaeologists to analyse conjointly various types of archaeological materials (e.g. bones, teeth, pottery, soil/sediments, plant remains). The objective of this inter-disciplinary project is to cross the bridge between sub-disciplines and develop a holistic and integrated methodological approach able to yield valuable data from a wide range of archaeological material. The key objective of the project is to devise a decision tree-like methodological protocol that will guide the micro-analytical process through steps and relevant microscopy instruments based on the research questions asked and the material used. This methodological cascade will have at its source data from four techniques: micro-computed tomography (microCT), laser confocal topography, automated scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), and thin section analysis.
2017-2019: Co-investigator: In utero tooth microstructure ANU CASS Small Research Grant $2,500, CI: A Behie, ANU
This project aimed to collect data on maternal conditions during pregnancy (i.e. maternal sources of stress, maternal medical history, sex of offspring, number of previous offspring, maternal age) as well as birth conditions (i.e. weeks’ gestation at delivery, mode of delivery, hours in labour) and compare these with characteristics of the neonatal line, which is deposited in all developing teeth at birth.
2016-2017: Principal investigator: Bone Palaeometabolism in Indonesia ANU CASS Research Hub Grant $8,000 , CIs: P Bellwood, M Oxenham, ANU
This grant funded lab equipment and histology preparation consumables used in the analysis of bone samples from a prehistoric (c. BCE/CE junction - 1000 CE) Indonesian site in the Norther Moluccas.
Travel grants:
2018 ANU RSHA Conference Travel Grant (AAPA 2019, Texas, US) $2,491
2017 ANU RSHA Conference Travel Grant (Synchrotron & ASHB 2017, Ballarat, AU) $1,580
2017 ANU RSHA Conference Travel Grant (ISPH 2017, Trenton, US) $2,248
2016 ANU RSHA Conference Travel Grant (AAPA 2017, New Orleans, US) $2,500
2016 ANU Early Career Travel Grant (AAPA 2016, Atlanta, US) $3,000
2013 William Pollitzer Award, American Association of Physical Anthropologists US $500 USD
2012 William Pollitzer Award, American Association of Physical Anthropologists US $500 USD
2022-2024 Associate Investigator: Embodied Colonialism: Biohistories of 19th-century Pakeha and Chinese Migrants to New Zealand Marsden Fast-Start, $360,000 (21-UOO-030), PI: Dr AME Snoddy, University of Otago
"Embodied Colonialism" will explore how migration to Aotearoa impacted the health of 19th century Pākehā and Chinese peoples. Recent exhumations of early settlers and gold miners from Otago cemeteries have provided a unique opportunity to learn who these people were. Bioarchaeological techniques, including microscopic analysis of bone and teeth, amplification of pathogen DNA, and evidence of pathology in the skeletons will be integrated with archival research to reconstruct the biological history of each migrant, from stresses suffered during childhood in their “home” country to their death in New Zealand, revealing the biosocial effects of migration and environmental adaptation.
2019-2022: Principal investigator: Ancient bone metabolism change with lifestyle in Asia-Pacific ARC DECRA, $381,210 (DE190100068)
This project aims to address a significant gap in our current knowledge of global change in skeletal health throughout recent human history. By contributing the first bone microstructural data for archaeological humans from across Asia-Pacific, this project aims to map the ways in which these ancient humans grew and adapted to different lifestyles. The project expects to identify new ways of predicting human bone health response to environmental and cultural change, contributing models for the well-being of past, living, and future human generations.
2019-2022: Associate investigator: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times: A Biocultural investigation of 19th century Frontier mining cemeteries in Australia, New Zealand and California Marsden Project Grant $827,000 (18-UOO-028), PI: Prof HR Buckley, University of Otago
Thousands of people left the Old World in the 19th century to take part in the gold rushes in California USA, Victoria, Australia and Otago, New Zealand. While early rush participants were often of European descent, other ethnicities participated, especially the Chinese. It was both the best of times and the worst of times, with the promise of easy wealth but the risk of sickness or violent death. Although historical records document the hardships of mining life, they are often silent on roles played by women, children, and the disenfranchised. Archaeology is often the sole avenue of enquiry for these ‘voices’, but here too there are gaps. Goldfields archaeology is extensive, however, the distinct cultural identity of individuals is often masked by a common material culture and health is rarely examined. Bioarchaeology, the analysis of archaeological human skeletal remains, adds to the historical narrative through direct biological evidence. Historic cemeteries provide a wealth of biological and cultural information, illuminating the lives of people during this time. We will explore adaptations to mining life in all these Pacific Rim regions by analysing the mortuary ritual of the communities, quality of life of the people, and the landscapes in which they lived.
2018: Principal investigator: Microscopy of the primate skeleton ANU Major Equipment Grant $135,000 (18MEC26), CIs: A Behie, M Oxenham, ANU
This grant funded one major piece of microscopy equipment (Olympus LEXT OLS5000 3D Measuring Laser Microscope System) to allow ANU biological anthropologists undertake non-destructive, non-contact surface scanning of primate bones and teeth. One key line of research within biological anthropology is the study of human and non-human primate (hereafter “primate”) skeletons. Both bone and dental samples representing fossilised, archaeological, or living primates offer a wealth of information about our biology and adaptation to intrinsic (e.g. health and disease) and environmental (e.g. stress, seasonality) factors over the course of human evolution and more recent history. Microscopic techniques are fundamental in this line of research enquiry as they allow us to reconstruct primate growth from preserved cells and other micro-structures which are, ultimately, the most direct indicators of metabolic activity in a living organism. Biological anthropologists at the ANU constitute the only research group in Australia with the requisite complementary mix of expertise, which is actively engaged in tackling these research questions.
GRANTS < $100k:
2021-2022: Associate Investigator: Living on the Edge: Health in a Marginal Community During the Protohistoric (500-800AD) Social Transition in Northeast Thailand, University of Otago Research Grant $39,214 NZD, PI: S Halcrow, Otago
The study of human skeletal remains from ancient populations allows us to fully understand how the interplay of social inequality and marginality impacts modern human wellbeing. Skeletal remains preserve information on health, and when contextualized with archaeological and historical information, they shed light on how our ancestors adapted to social change. This study will investigate how the rapid rise of inequality in prehistory impacted health in the marginal community of Ban Krabeuang, northeast Thailand. It will combine isotopic indicators of diet and mobility with innovative microscopic methods for studying skeletal stress markers to explore the interacting influences on health. We will conduct this research using a biocultural intersectional approach, which allows the exploration of how different aspects of the identity interacted to shape individual experiences and health. This study will enhance both modern and archaeological understandings of inequality in marginalised groups.
2020-2021: Co-nvestigator: Polythetic Micro-analytical Toolkit (PMT) for archaeological and bioanthropological sciences, ANU Intrepid Methodologies Strategic Theme $16,420, CIs: M Leclerc, T Denham, ANU
The aim of this project is to develop a suite of complementary analytical methods based on microscopic visualisation. This analytical approach will allow bioanthropologists and archaeologists to analyse conjointly various types of archaeological materials (e.g. bones, teeth, pottery, soil/sediments, plant remains). The objective of this inter-disciplinary project is to cross the bridge between sub-disciplines and develop a holistic and integrated methodological approach able to yield valuable data from a wide range of archaeological material. The key objective of the project is to devise a decision tree-like methodological protocol that will guide the micro-analytical process through steps and relevant microscopy instruments based on the research questions asked and the material used. This methodological cascade will have at its source data from four techniques: micro-computed tomography (microCT), laser confocal topography, automated scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS), and thin section analysis.
2017-2019: Co-investigator: In utero tooth microstructure ANU CASS Small Research Grant $2,500, CI: A Behie, ANU
This project aimed to collect data on maternal conditions during pregnancy (i.e. maternal sources of stress, maternal medical history, sex of offspring, number of previous offspring, maternal age) as well as birth conditions (i.e. weeks’ gestation at delivery, mode of delivery, hours in labour) and compare these with characteristics of the neonatal line, which is deposited in all developing teeth at birth.
2016-2017: Principal investigator: Bone Palaeometabolism in Indonesia ANU CASS Research Hub Grant $8,000 , CIs: P Bellwood, M Oxenham, ANU
This grant funded lab equipment and histology preparation consumables used in the analysis of bone samples from a prehistoric (c. BCE/CE junction - 1000 CE) Indonesian site in the Norther Moluccas.
Travel grants:
2018 ANU RSHA Conference Travel Grant (AAPA 2019, Texas, US) $2,491
2017 ANU RSHA Conference Travel Grant (Synchrotron & ASHB 2017, Ballarat, AU) $1,580
2017 ANU RSHA Conference Travel Grant (ISPH 2017, Trenton, US) $2,248
2016 ANU RSHA Conference Travel Grant (AAPA 2017, New Orleans, US) $2,500
2016 ANU Early Career Travel Grant (AAPA 2016, Atlanta, US) $3,000
2013 William Pollitzer Award, American Association of Physical Anthropologists US $500 USD
2012 William Pollitzer Award, American Association of Physical Anthropologists US $500 USD
On the basis of my research interests, my projects can be broadly sub-divided into three themes:
The effect of socio-economic inequality on skeletal health
I've been working in this area since completing my Honours thesis (2010) which is when I got introduced to a Medieval human osteological collection curated at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK. The collection, St. Gregory's Priory and adjacent cemetery, is composed of thousands of human skeletal remains that span juveniles and adults, and represents a very distinct division of Medieval feudal social status. This collection is an incredible source of bone and tooth biology data that can be examined in relation to human social structures.
Selected representative publications:
Miszkiewicz JJ, Cooke K. 2019. Socio-economic determinants of bone health from past to present. Clinical Reviews in Bone and Mineral Metabolism 17: 109–122 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Brennan-Olsen S, Riancho JA. 2019. Bone Health: A Reflection of the Social Mosaic. Springer Nature Medicine, Singapore Ltd. LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Stewart TJ, Deter CA, Fahy G, Mahoney P. 2019. Skeletal health in medieval societies: Insights from bone collagen stable isotopes and dental histology. In: Miszkiewicz JJ, Brennan-Olsen S, Riancho JA. Bone Health: A reflection of the Social Mosaic. Springer Medicine: Singapore. pp.15-32 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ. 2019. The effect of English Medieval socio-economic status inequality on bone health – what can we learn for the living? In: Miszkiewicz JJ, Brennan-Olsen S, Riancho JA. Bone Health: A reflection of the Social Mosaic. Springer Medicine: Singapore. pp.3-15 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Mahoney P. 2016. Ancient human bone microstructure in medieval England: Comparisons between two socio-economic groups. The Anatomical Record 299: 42-59. LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ. 2012. Linear enamel hypoplasia and age-at-death at Medieval (11th-16th centuries) St. Gregory's Priory and Cemetery, Canterbury, UK. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 25: 79 - 87. LINK
Remodelling of the human femur in relation to behaviour
I've been interested in the biology of adult human limb bone remodelling since the completion of my PhD thesis (2014) as part of which I investigated femoral midshaft histomorphometric variation with bone size and morphology (form and inferred function). I continue working on human femur histology in relation to biomechanical questions as I think there is still a lot we don't fully understand in this area, particularly how localised cortical bone remodelling relates to cross sectional geometry. This research has fed into several of the above listed funded projects, including my ARC DECRA fellowship. Another site I am currently working on in relation to this research area is Chojnice in Poland - I am particularly excited about this one because of my Polish heritage.
Selected representative publications:
Miszkiewicz JJ, Matisoo-Smith L, Weisler M. In press. Behavior and intra-skeletal remodeling in an adult male from 1720 BP Ebon Atoll, Marshall Islands, eastern Micronesia. Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology
Miszkiewicz JJ, Valentin F, Vrahnas C, Sims NA, Vongsvivut P, Tobin MJ, Clark G. 2021. Bone loss markers in the earliest Pacific islanders. Scientific Reports 11, 3981
Miszkiewicz JJ, Rider C, Kealy S, Vrahnas C, Sims NA, Vongsvivut P, Tobin MJ, Bolunia MJLA, De Leon AS, Peñalosa AL, Pagulayan PS, Soriano AV, Page R, Oxenham MF. 2020. Asymmetric midshaft femur remodelling in an adult male with left sided hip joint ankylosis, Metal Period Nagsabaran, Philippines. International Journal of Paleopathology 31, 14-22 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Mahoney P. 2019. Histomorphometry and cortical robusticity of the adult human femur. Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism 37(1): 90-104 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Mahoney P. 2017. Human bone and dental histology in an archaeological context. In: Thompson T, Erricksen D (Eds) Imaging Human Remains: Another Dimension. Elsevier: Academic Press pp. 29-43. LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ. 2016. Investigating histomorphometric relationships at human femoral midshaft in a biomechanical context. Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism 34: 179-92 LINK
The effect of island living on skeletal physiology
I have gotten interested in the evolutionary biology theory of island living since moving to Australia in 2016. Since my move here I've been working on human and non-human bone samples that derive from islands, which has made me identify several questions about how the vertebrate skeleton adapts to constrained environments. This is still a relatively new area of research for me, which has fed directly into my ARC DECRA fellowship because I mostly work on samples from Pacific or Southeast Asian islands. I am really enjoying learning about the complexity of ecological and biological relationships that impact skeletal growth. My current study samples relating to this research area are Candiacervus (dwarfed deer from Crete) and Hippopotamus creutzburgi and H. minor (dwarfed hippos from Crete and Cyprus).
Selected representative publications:
Miszkiewicz JJ, Louys J, Beck R, Mahoney P, Aplin K, O'Connor S. 2020. Island rule and bone metabolism in fossil murines from Timor. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 129 (3), 570-586 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Louys J, O'Connor S. 2019. Micro-anatomical record of cortical bone remodeling and high vascularity in a fossil giant rat midshaft femur. The Anatomical Record 302(11): 1934-1940 LINK
The effect of socio-economic inequality on skeletal health
I've been working in this area since completing my Honours thesis (2010) which is when I got introduced to a Medieval human osteological collection curated at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK. The collection, St. Gregory's Priory and adjacent cemetery, is composed of thousands of human skeletal remains that span juveniles and adults, and represents a very distinct division of Medieval feudal social status. This collection is an incredible source of bone and tooth biology data that can be examined in relation to human social structures.
Selected representative publications:
Miszkiewicz JJ, Cooke K. 2019. Socio-economic determinants of bone health from past to present. Clinical Reviews in Bone and Mineral Metabolism 17: 109–122 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Brennan-Olsen S, Riancho JA. 2019. Bone Health: A Reflection of the Social Mosaic. Springer Nature Medicine, Singapore Ltd. LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Stewart TJ, Deter CA, Fahy G, Mahoney P. 2019. Skeletal health in medieval societies: Insights from bone collagen stable isotopes and dental histology. In: Miszkiewicz JJ, Brennan-Olsen S, Riancho JA. Bone Health: A reflection of the Social Mosaic. Springer Medicine: Singapore. pp.15-32 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ. 2019. The effect of English Medieval socio-economic status inequality on bone health – what can we learn for the living? In: Miszkiewicz JJ, Brennan-Olsen S, Riancho JA. Bone Health: A reflection of the Social Mosaic. Springer Medicine: Singapore. pp.3-15 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Mahoney P. 2016. Ancient human bone microstructure in medieval England: Comparisons between two socio-economic groups. The Anatomical Record 299: 42-59. LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ. 2012. Linear enamel hypoplasia and age-at-death at Medieval (11th-16th centuries) St. Gregory's Priory and Cemetery, Canterbury, UK. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology 25: 79 - 87. LINK
Remodelling of the human femur in relation to behaviour
I've been interested in the biology of adult human limb bone remodelling since the completion of my PhD thesis (2014) as part of which I investigated femoral midshaft histomorphometric variation with bone size and morphology (form and inferred function). I continue working on human femur histology in relation to biomechanical questions as I think there is still a lot we don't fully understand in this area, particularly how localised cortical bone remodelling relates to cross sectional geometry. This research has fed into several of the above listed funded projects, including my ARC DECRA fellowship. Another site I am currently working on in relation to this research area is Chojnice in Poland - I am particularly excited about this one because of my Polish heritage.
Selected representative publications:
Miszkiewicz JJ, Matisoo-Smith L, Weisler M. In press. Behavior and intra-skeletal remodeling in an adult male from 1720 BP Ebon Atoll, Marshall Islands, eastern Micronesia. Journal of Island & Coastal Archaeology
Miszkiewicz JJ, Valentin F, Vrahnas C, Sims NA, Vongsvivut P, Tobin MJ, Clark G. 2021. Bone loss markers in the earliest Pacific islanders. Scientific Reports 11, 3981
Miszkiewicz JJ, Rider C, Kealy S, Vrahnas C, Sims NA, Vongsvivut P, Tobin MJ, Bolunia MJLA, De Leon AS, Peñalosa AL, Pagulayan PS, Soriano AV, Page R, Oxenham MF. 2020. Asymmetric midshaft femur remodelling in an adult male with left sided hip joint ankylosis, Metal Period Nagsabaran, Philippines. International Journal of Paleopathology 31, 14-22 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Mahoney P. 2019. Histomorphometry and cortical robusticity of the adult human femur. Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism 37(1): 90-104 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Mahoney P. 2017. Human bone and dental histology in an archaeological context. In: Thompson T, Erricksen D (Eds) Imaging Human Remains: Another Dimension. Elsevier: Academic Press pp. 29-43. LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ. 2016. Investigating histomorphometric relationships at human femoral midshaft in a biomechanical context. Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism 34: 179-92 LINK
The effect of island living on skeletal physiology
I have gotten interested in the evolutionary biology theory of island living since moving to Australia in 2016. Since my move here I've been working on human and non-human bone samples that derive from islands, which has made me identify several questions about how the vertebrate skeleton adapts to constrained environments. This is still a relatively new area of research for me, which has fed directly into my ARC DECRA fellowship because I mostly work on samples from Pacific or Southeast Asian islands. I am really enjoying learning about the complexity of ecological and biological relationships that impact skeletal growth. My current study samples relating to this research area are Candiacervus (dwarfed deer from Crete) and Hippopotamus creutzburgi and H. minor (dwarfed hippos from Crete and Cyprus).
Selected representative publications:
Miszkiewicz JJ, Louys J, Beck R, Mahoney P, Aplin K, O'Connor S. 2020. Island rule and bone metabolism in fossil murines from Timor. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 129 (3), 570-586 LINK
Miszkiewicz JJ, Louys J, O'Connor S. 2019. Micro-anatomical record of cortical bone remodeling and high vascularity in a fossil giant rat midshaft femur. The Anatomical Record 302(11): 1934-1940 LINK
