
Dr Ryan Rabett
Senior Lecturer
- School of Natural and Built Environment - Senior Lecturer
For media contact email comms.office@qub.ac.uk
or call +44(0)2890 973091.
Research Interests
Southeast Asia (Upper Pleistocene to Mid-Holocene)
Palaeolithic archaeology (Asia, North Africa, North America, Europe)
Human colonization & adaptation
Zooarchaeology
Human evolution
UNESCO World Heritage
My research explores the process of hominin adaptation and dispersal into different Late Quaternary environments. My research goals are two-fold: firstly, to better understand these localised trajectories of early human behaviour; but also, secondly, to find ways of melding principles of Pleistocene adaptation (often forged under capricious conditions) into contemporary economic models and responses. The ultimate aim being: to enhance modern adaptive capacities to abrupt shifts in environment as much as to better understand the ways our ancestors responded in the past. With these ambitions, as a Palaeolithic archaeologist and zooarchaeologist, I’m currently leading (PI) research projects in three regions of the world: Southeast Asia, North America and the Mediterranean.
Teaching
Lecturer in Human Palaeoecology
Module Co-ordinator (2016-17)
GAP1001 Ancient Humans & Landscapes
GAP3082 Palaeolithic Pioneers: Adaptation & Colonization in Global Perspective
Contributions to:
GAP3072 Human Evolution
GAP1013 Introduction to World Archaeology
Module Co-ordinator (2015-16)
GAP3082 Palaeolithic Pioneers: Adaptation & Colonization in Global Perspective
Contributions to:
GAP3072 Human Evolution
GAP1013 Introduction to World Archaeology
Achievements and Distinctions
UNESCO World Heritage:
During 2012-14 I was part of the executive committee responsible for preparing the Vietnamese State Party’s nomination dossier for the Tràng An Landscape Complex; a nomination that was ultimately inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a mixed property (cultural and natural) in June 2014 – http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1438/
Since 2014, I have also become actively involved with the UNESCO Human Evolution: adaptions, dispersals and social developments (HEADS) thematic programme, which is seeking greater representation and conservation of properties on the World Heritage List relating to human evolution and its relevance to us today.
Research Statement
Current research projects (see Activities):
2016-2019 SUNDASIA: Human Adaptation to Coastal Evolution: Late Quaternary evidence from Southeast Asia (Ninh Binh province, Vietnam)
Funding: AHRC AH/N005902/1 / Xuan Truong Enterprise. Project website: https://sundasia.com/
2007-2014 Tràng An Archaeological Project (Ninh Binh province, Vietnam);
2011-2015 Northeast Algonquin Palaeo-Lake Environmental Assessment (Ontario, Canada);
2013- Pleistocene Kefalonia Project (Ionian Islands, Greece)
Current collaborative research:
2008- The Cyrenaica Prehistory Project, Libya (zooarchaeologist) http://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/haua-fteah-project
Past research:
2011 Living on the Edge: archaeological survey of shell middens on five islands in Sligo Bay, Ireland (zooarchaeologist) – Queen’s University, Belfast;
2010 Callao Cave project, Philippines (zooarchaeologist) – University of the Philippines;
2006-08 Regionalism in the Development of Modern Human Behaviour (PI) – University of Cambridge;
2003-05 The Niah Caves Project, Borneo (zooarchaeologist) – University of Leicester and University of Cambridge
http://www.oxbowbooks.com/oxbow/rainforest-foraging-and-farming-in-island-southeast-asia.html
Particulars
Professional affiliations:
Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association (http://ippa.weblogs.anu.edu.au/)
Canadian Archaeological Association (https://canadianarchaeology.com/)
Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), London UK (http://www.rgs.org/HomePage.htm)
International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) (http://www.icomos.org/en/)
UNESCO Human Evolution: adaptions, dispersals and social developments (HEADS) (http://whc.unesco.org/en/heads/)
Past Global Changes (PAGES) network (http://www.rgs.org/HomePage.htm)
- Published
The success of failed Homo sapiens dispersals out of Africa and into Asia
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
- Published
The Early Human Occupation of East and Southeast Asia
Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed)
- Published
Tropical limestone forest resilience and late Pleistocene foraging during MIS-2 in the Tràng An massif, Vietnam
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Frequent Journals
International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
ISSNs: 1047-482X
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Scopus rating (2017): CiteScore 1.15 SJR 0.652 SNIP 0.788
Journal
Libyan Studies
ISSNs: 0263-7189
Cambridge University Press
Scopus rating (2017): CiteScore 0.15 SJR 0.111 SNIP 0.051
Journal
Journal of Archaeological Science
ISSNs: 0305-4403
Additional searchable ISSN (Electronic): 1095-9238
Academic Press Inc.
Scopus rating (2017): CiteScore 2.96 SJR 1.885 SNIP 1.616
Journal
Quaternary International
ISSNs: 1040-6182
Elsevier Limited
Scopus rating (2017): CiteScore 2.03 SJR 1.123 SNIP 0.964
Journal
Transitions to animal domestication in Southeast Asia: Zooarchaeological analysis of Cồn Cổ Ngựa and Mán Bạc, Vietnam
Activity: Examination types › PhD external examination
INVESTIGATING PALAEODIETARY CHANGES FROM THE MESOLITHIC TO THE VIKING AGE IN THE LIMFJORD AREA IN NORTHERN DENMARK
Activity: Examination types › PhD external examination
Late Pleistocene to mid-Holocene palaeoenvironments and human subsistence strategies in East Java: evidence from Song Terus and Braholo caves
Activity: Examination types › PhD external examination
TEACHING REPLACEMENT COSTS: US$ 66,559
Prize: Other distinction
Human Adaptation to Coastal Evolution: Late Quaternary evidence from Southeast Asia (SUNDASIA): £1,041,415 (AHRC & Xuan Truong Enterprise)
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
John Templeton Foundation: £67,971
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
ID: 14717526