Professor Naomi Sykes

Naomi researches and teaches on human-animal-environment interactions over the last 10,000 years, exploring how they inform on the structure, ideology and impact of societies, past and present. She is particularly interested in reconstructing the bio-cultural histories of introduced and locally extinct / endangered species (e.g. fallow deer, chickens, rabbits, hares, cats, dogs and wolves).

Her approach, which is set out in her 2014 book Beastly Questions: Animal Answers to Archaeological Issues, is to work across the Arts-Science spectrum. She integrates archaeological evidence with data from biomolecular analyses (especially DNA and isotopes) and discussions from anthropology, cultural geography, (art) history and linguistics. Together these sources of information represent a powerful tool not only for understanding ancient cultures but also for contextualizing modern problems facing humanity.

Naomi’s work always seeks to demonstrate the value of Arts/Humanities-led research, particularly for communicating important, and often difficult, issues in a creative, palatable format. To this end, she collaborates closely with a range of non-academic organizations worldwide.