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Introduction of Federica Sulas

New assistant professor at UrbNet.

Federica Sulas (PhD Cantab.) is an archaeologist with diverse experience researching the long-term interplay between people and environments by integrating approaches and methods from the humanities and geosciences. A trained geoarchaeologist, Federica has used soil micromorphology and soil chemistry together with phytolith analysis to examine long-term farming, water and urban landscapes, and the use of domestic space in northern Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

At UrbNet, Federica will further research on urbanism and geoarchaeology with a focus on Africa. Building on current research on the East African coast, Federica is collaborating with other UrbNet researchers to develop a new, comparative project on urban transitions in the Zanzibar archipelago.

In addition, she is researching the links between water and social complexity in the early urban landscape of Great Zimbabwe together with Innocent Pikirayi at the University of Pretoria.

Whilst completing a monograph study on land, water and societies in Ethiopia, Federica is also working on a new edited book on the decline and resilience of past water uses worldwide, and how this knowledge can inform contemporary global challenges.