Kimberly Foecke is an archaeometry specialist. Her research focuses on the application of methods from materials science and analytical chemistry to paleoanthropological and archaeological questions. Her doctoral dissertation research involves refining the use of stable nitrogen isotopes in our understanding of complex food processing behavior in Neanderthals and other archaeological populations. Her dissertation is in collaboration with the Human Origins Program and the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute. On the side, she is involved in research projects focused on the use of x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF and pXRF) in sourcing geological, archaeological, and fossil material to areas of geographic origin.

Kim earned her BSc in Archaeological Science from Penn State University, and moved on to the department of geoscience at Penn State for her MSc. She is currently a PhD candidate at George Washington University in the Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology (CASHP - https://anthropology.columbian.gwu.edu/kimberly-foecke). Her work is largely laboratory-based, but she has conducted fieldwork at sites in Croatia and Spain. Apart from research, Kim mentors many undergraduate and master’s students in multiple departments and teaches several undergraduate courses.