Ran Chen

Ran Chen is an anthropological archaeologist specializing in archaeobotany and lithic analysis in East Asia and the Americas. Her research investigates subsistence strategies, technological innovation, and human-environment interactions, focusing on the materiality of plants, fibers, and stone tools in processes of foraging, sedentism, and early agriculture.Her PhD research in North China examines stone tool specialization and innovation from the Upper Paleolithic to the Early Neolithic, integrating residue and use-wear analyses on chipped and ground stones with experimental studies to explore the functional evolution of artifacts during the transition to farming.  Her collaborative research extends to multi-proxy analyses of starch and phytolith remains in Mesoamerica (Aguada Fénix, Mexico; Copan, Honduras) and early agricultural contexts in the American Southwest (Southern Arizona). Her ongoing research regards understudied ways of plant use in early human societies, ancient technology, and tranditional food practice knowledge.Prior to her postdoctoral appointment at Stanford, Ran earned her PhD in Anthropological Archaeology from the University of Arizona, an M.A. in Chinese Archaeology from Stanford University, and a B.A. in Antiquity and Museology from Zhejiang University, China. She has field experience with the Picuris Project and rock art surveys and has contributed to historical archaeology projects and archival translation initiatives.