Department of Human Evolution

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig

phone: +49 (341) 3550 - 350
fax: +49 (0341) 3550 - 399

e-mail: streiber@[>>> Please remove the brackets! <<<]eva.mpg.de

Karen Ruebens

Post-Doctoral Researcher

Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Department of Human Evolution
Deutscher Platz 6
04103 Leipzig
Germany

phone: 0049 (0) 341 3550 364
fax: 0049 (0) 341 3550 399
e-mail: karen_ruebens@[>>> Please remove the brackets! <<<]eva.mpg.de

Research Interests
Curriculum Vitae
Publications

Research Interests

I am a postdoctoral researcher specialised in Palaeolithic archaeology and lithic analyses aimed at understanding patterns underlying human evolution with specific emphasis on Neanderthal behaviour. My current research focuses on Middle Palaeolithic lithic variability, in particular assessing region-specific trends across Europe to understand the causes, mechanisms and behavioural implications of changes in lithic technology, including across the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition.

I re-joined the Human Evolution department in 2017 with a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Career Restart Fellowship. My MSC project ‘TIP-N-POINT’ focuses on reconstructing the technology underlying Middle Palaeolithic hunting events though an assemblage level assessment of the role of point shapes in the Neanderthal tool kit. It is aimed to bridge review and primary assemblage level data across Europe as well as applying a suite of analytical tools, including geometric morphometrics, GIS edge damage mapping and quantitative approaches (incl. generalised linear modelling).

Curriculum Vitae

Professional Record

11/2017-03/2020	Marie Skłodowska-Curie Career Restart Fellowship (European Commission) Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany Project TIP-N-POINT: Middle Palaeolithic projectile weapon tips: a contextual, technological and quantitative assessment of Neanderthal point technology in Western Europe. Collaborators: Dr Shannon McPherron
09/2015-10/2017	Parental leave
09/2014-08/2015	DAAD-Leibniz Postdoctoral fellow MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution, Neuwied, Germany Project: The Palaeolithic origins of regional cultural variation: Neanderthal culture within a spatio-temporal perspective. Collaborator: Dr Olaf Jöris
10/2013-07/2014	DAAD Postdoctoral fellow Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI-EVA), Leipzig, Germany Project: Contextualising Late Middle Palaeolithic backed knives: a new perspective on Neanderthal–Modern Human interactions in Western Europe. Collaborators: Dr Shannon McPherron and Prof. Jean-Jacques Hublin

Education

2013	Ph.D., Palaeolithic Archaeology, University of Southampton (UK) Dissertation: From Keilmesser to bout-coupé handaxes: Macro-regional variability in Western European Late Middle Palaeolithic bifacial tools. Supervisor: Dr John McNabb, Advisor: Dr William Davies Examiners: Prof Clive Gamble and Dr Olaf Jöris
2007	M.A., Archaeology of Human Origins, University of Southampton (UK) Dissertation: Bifacial elements in NW Europe during the last glacial cycle (MIS 5d-3) Supervisor: Dr John McNabb
2005	M.A. and B.A., Archaeology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) Dissertation: The Middle Paleolithic Site of Oosthoven (B): a comparative analysis Supervisor: Prof. Philip Van Peer

Grants and awards

2017	Marie Skłodowska-Curie Career Restart Fellowship (EU Horizon 2020) €171,460
2014	DAAD-Leibniz: Postdoctoral research fellowship €24,450
2013	DAAD (German Academic Exchange service): Postdoctoral Grant €14,000
2013	Prehistoric Society: Research Grant for fieldwork at Oosthoven (Belgium) £400
2013	Society of Antiquaries: Research Grant for fieldwork at Oosthoven (Belgium) £2,700
2011	University of Southampton: Humanities PGR research fund for conference travel £508
2010	Arts and Humanities Research Council: Overseas Study Visit Postgraduate Award £2,400
2010	Lithic Studies Society: Grant for conference organisation £500
2007	Arts and Humanities Research Council: part-time non-UK PhD funding £11,900
2007	Lithic Studies Society: John Wymer Bursary £250
2005	Rotary Belgium District 1620: MA Grant and study loan €10,000

Professional Involvement

Board	Elected regular board member for the European Society for the Study of Human Evolution (ESHE.eu, September 2015-September 2019)
Editor	Human Origins Journal, BAR conference volume
Reviewer	PLOS ONE Quaternary Science Reviews Journal of Archaeological Science Quaternary International Journal of the Lithics Studies Society Journal of Lithic Studies British Archaeological Report series University of Southampton monograph series

Conference Organisation

2017	Session Organiser ‘Connecting Middle Palaeolithic datasets: the interplay of zooarchaeological and lithic data for unravelling Neanderthal behaviour’ Conference: 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA), Vancouver (Canada)
2014	Session Convener ‘Bifacial tools in the Middle Palaeolithic of western Eurasia: typo-technological variability and spatio-temporal trends’ Conference:XVII World UISPP Congress 2014, Burgos (Spain)
2011	Chair of the Organising Committee Conference: Unravelling the Palaeolithic: 10 years of research at the Centre for the Archaeology of Human Origins, University of Southampton
2011	Principal founder of ‘Unravelling the Palaeolithic’conference series Annual UK conference series aimed at integrating postgraduate and senior researchers travelling between Southampton, Liverpool, Cambridge, Durham and Oxford.
2008, 2009	Chair of the Organising Committee Conference: PG Research Archaeology Symposium, University of Southampton
2008	Session Convener ‘Spoilt For Choice: Uncovering Choice in The Archaeological record’ Conference: Theoretical Archaeology Group (TAG), University of Southampton

Publications

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Fieldwork Reports

	Ruebens, K.; Smith, G.M.; Van Peer, P. 2014. Contextualising the Middle Palaeolithic assemblage of Oosthoven (northern Belgium)..
	Bates, M.; Pope, M.; Shaw, A.; Scott, B.; Cole, J.; MacPhail, R.; Scaife, R.; Allott, L; Ruebens, K. and Smith, G. 2012. La Cotte de St. Brelade: Report on Characterisation, Sampling and Stabilisation of Exposed Pleistocene Sediments in the Western Ravine NERC URGENCY AWARD NE/J012394/1.
	Pope, M.; Scott, B.; Bates, M.; Conneller, C.; Cole, J.; Shaw, A.; Wragg-Sykes, R.; Smith, G.; Ruebens, K. and Underhill, D. 2011. Quaternary Archaeology and Environments of Jersey: Report 2010.
	McPherron, S.; Lenoir, M.; Chiotti, L.; Dogandžić, T.; Hublin, J-J. ; Miller, C.; Ruebens, K.; Soressi, M.; Steele, T. and Turq, A. 2011. Rapport de la campagne de fouilles de 2010 dans le gisement du haut de Combe-Capelle Dordogne, France).