| Contact information | Keywords | Links |
| krista.mcgrath@uab.cat |
Biomolecular archaeology ZooMS Palaeoproteomics Archaeological science | TRADITION |
Research lines
I am a biomolecular archaeologist who uses ancient DNA and ancient proteins to investigate a variety of questions – from species identification and biodiversity, to diet and disease, to methods development. My undergraduate degree was in Biology and Anthropology at the University of Western Ontario (London, Canada), after which I completed a Master’s in Archaeology at Simon Fraser University (Vancouver, Canada) focusing on ancient DNA – specifically looking at mitochondrial and nuclear DNA degradation in faunal remains. From 2014 to 2019, I worked as a Research Technician in Genomics and Proteomics in the BioArCh research centre in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York (UK). In this role I worked on a variety of projects involving the analysis of ancient DNA (species ID, shotgun genomics, capture) and ancient proteins (ZooMS, shotgun proteomics) from a range of materials such as bone, antler, baleen, leather, pottery, dental calculus, coprolites, plants, etc.
In 2019, I took up my current position as Senior Research Technician in Palaeoproteomics on the ERC funded project TRADITION, in the Departament de Prehistória and ICTA at the UAB. TRADITION aims to show the potential of archaeology and history to inform current-day management and conservation strategies for small-scale fisheries in tropical and subtropical South America. As the Senior Research Technician I will be helping to understand human dietary changes through the analysis of proteins in pottery and dental calculus, and to elucidate changes in the biodiversity of marine and terrestrial fauna along the Brazilian Atlantic Forest coast using ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry).
As a research technician I have had the opportunity to work on a variety of different projects, which has lead me to develop wide-ranging research interests in terms of geography, time periods and materials to be analyzed. I am particularly interested in marine mammal biodiversity and in methods improvement/development.
Works on faunal assemblages from…
Cetaceans from South America (variety of pre-Columbian sites in Brazil) – in progress
Cetaceans from Western Europe (mostly worked bone artefacts from variety of sites, dating largely to the Magdalenian) – in progress
Previously worked with faunal remains from different sites in Europe, Africa, South America and North America.
Research projects
TRADITION – Long-Term Coastal Adaptation, Food Security and Poverty Alleviation in Latin America: ERC-Consolidator Grant project, PI: André Carlo Colonese (UAB), Role: Senior Research Technician in Palaeoproteomics.
Exploring the origin of food production in the Atlantic Forest: National Geographic Explorer Grant, PI: André Carlo Colonese (UAB), Role: Research Technician (Palaeoproteomics)
PaleoCet – The Exploitation of Cetaceans in the Paleolithic of Atlantic Europe: ANR funded project, PI: Jean-Marc Pétillon (Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès), Role: Research Technician (ZooMS, ancient DNA)
Featured publications
Korzow Richter, K., McGrath, K., Masson-McLean, E., Hickinbotham, S., Tedder, A., Brittonc, K., Bottomley, Z., Dobney, K., Hulme-Beamang, A., Zona, M., Fischer, R., Collins, M.J., and Speller, C.F. (2020). What’s the catch? Archaeological application of rapid collagen-based species identification for Pacific Salmon. Journal of Archaeological Science, 116: 105116
McGrath, K., Rowsell, K., Gates St-Pierre, C., Tedder, A., Foody, G., Roberts, C., Speller, C., and Collins, M. (2019). Identifying Archaeological Bone via Non-Destructive ZooMS and the Materiality of Symbolic Expression: Examples from Iroquoian Bone Points. Scientific Reports 9, 11027
Rodrigues, A.S.L., Charpentier, A., Bernal-Casasola, D., Gardeisen, A., Nores, C., Pis, M.J.A., McGrath, K., and Speller, C.F. (2018). Forgotten Mediterranean Calving Grounds of Grey and North Atlantic Right Whales: Evidence from Roman Archaeological Records. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285 (1882): 20180961
Hendy, J., Warinner, C., Bouwman, A., Collins, M.J., Fiddyment, S., Fischer, R., Hagan, R., Hofman, C.A., Holst, M.,Chaves, E., Klaus, L., Larson, G., Mackie, M., McGrath, K., Mundorff, A.Z., Radini, A., Rao, H.,Trachsel, C., Velsko, I.M., and Speller, C.F. (2018). Proteomic Evidence of Dietary Sources in Ancient Dental Calculus. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285 (1883): 20180977