Matthew Padgett

My research focuses on the long-term interactions between humans and plants, specifically the impact that different land use practices have on social resilience and inequality, as well as ecological processes and stability. I believe that the archaeological record offers a unique view into human-environment interactions, which can aid in our response to contemporary Climate Change, helping to promote food security and sustainable land management practices, whilst also challenging modern notions of Nature and the Anthropocene. 

Before coming to Stanford, I received my BA in Anthropology from Columbia University, and attended the University of Oxford as a Clarendon Scholar, where I earned a MSc in Archaeology, focusing on environmental archaeology. My previous research focuses on the reconstruction of past land divisions and utilization, the wild/domesticated division, and the introduction of agriculture to Neolithic Europe.