Profile

Biography

Beatrice was awarded her MSc in Conservation Science, at University of Turin in 2006 and her PhD in Archaeology at York in 2009.
Her interest lie in understanding the mechanisms of protein decay in the archaeological and fossil record with specific application to the dating of archaeological and Quaternary sites.  
Beatrice initial work focused upon the use of a wide range of non-destructive analytical techniques to characterise the degradation of both organic and inorganic surfaces from historica buildings, specifically the impact of chemical and biological deterioration of carbonates. Follow successful award of her Masters (Cum Laude and Optime prize for the Industrial Union in Turin), she move to York as a Marie Curie Fellow to explore the potential of marine molluscs as tool for geochronology to date beach deposits and anthropogenic accumulations.  This work took her to sites across the UK and around the Mediterranean.
She is currently employed as a NERC Postdoctoral Associate investigation mass-spectrometric methods to examine the decay of protein in a model system (ostrich eggshells) in order to improve the gechronology of sites in Southern Africa, to establish the beginning of modern human behaviour. 

Publications

Full publications list

Conference Papers

Demarchi, B., Penkman, K. & Collins, M. 2007 "Prehistoric sea-shores: shells, humans and ice". Poster presented at UKAS Conference, September 2007, Cambridge (2nd best poster prize)

Demarchi, B., van Asperen, E. & Penkman, K. 2007 "To date or not to date?". Talk presented at TAG07, December 2007, York

Demarchi, B., Penkman, K. &  Collins, M. 2008 "Sea-shells and sea-shores: extending AAR to the coast". Poster presented at the Quaternary Research Association Annual Meeting, January 2008, London

Demarchi, B. & Penkman, K. 2008 "Early humans on the Rock: new developments in amino acid racemisation dating". Talk presented at 37th International Symposium on Archaeometry, May 2008, Siena

Demarchi, B. & Penkman, K. 2008 "AAR dating: geochemistry at the service of the past". Talk presented at the British Organic Geochemistry Society annual meeting, July 2008, Newcastle (best student talk prize)

Demarchi, B. & Penkman, K. 2008 "AAR and fossil shells: unveil the undatable". Poster presented at the International Symposium in Biomolecular Archaeology, September 2008, York (3rd best poster prize)

Book Chapters

Demarchi, B. 2008 Amino acid clockwork in: Van Asperen, E., E. Becker, B. Demarchi, F. Gröning & O. Panagiotopoulou: PALAEO, Interdisciplinary approaches to reconstructing the past, York.

Research

Overview

Research Interests

Coastal Archaeology & Chronology

• Reconstructing the role of seashores on early human evolution and dispersal and how Quaternary climatic changes affected coastal environments. Developing a chronological framework for marine deposits in different areas of the world based on AAR dating in fossil shells. 
  

Analytical methods

• Protein mass spectrometric methods to explore mechanisms of porteind breakdown. 

Biomineralization

Conservation Sciences

• Scientific studies of the materials constituting an art/archaeological object
  
• Application of science and technology to the conservation of cultural heritage and past material cultures
  

Past projects                       

• Biodeterioration of plasters and coatings of the arcades of the City of Turin (2005-2006)
  
• Characterisation of artificially-aged pictorial varnishes (natural and synthetic polymers)
  

PhD: Dating hominin exploitation of Paleo- and Mesolithic coastal sites using amino acid racemisation

The project attempts to develop a method of dating shells from marine and coastal sites in an effort to improve a dating of sites which are important to the early habitation of hominins. Shells are biominerals, in which an organic (mainly proteic) matrix is deeply embedded in a calcium carbonate skeleton. The idea behind this project is to isolate a closed system in which proteins will decay under predictable conditions. Because the rate of decay is improved strongly by temperature it is hoped that these data can show climate changes occurred in the past.

The plan is to analyze a number of coastal sites from around the world including the earliest modern humans in Britain, the last Neanderthal in Gibraltar and the earliest humans in South-East Asia.

Current projects

MAARTiME

The EU award MAARTiME, is designed to extend the potential for amino chronology of coastal sites spanning the last 200,000 years, with implications for understanding the beginning of modern human behaviour. 

Building a better Eggtimer

Teaching

Undergraduate

First year

Third year

External activities

Memberships

• February 2004- July 2004: 6-month stage in the Department of Macromolecular Chemistry, University of Turin, studying the characterization of artificially aged painting varnishes (natural and synthetic).
• September 2005: Won the Optime Prize  “Menzione” of  the Industrial Union of Turin  for the BSc degree
• October 2005 – September 2006: 1 year project, Department of Macromolecular Chemistry and Vegetal Biology, University of Turin, studying plasters and coatings of the City’s arcades and their biodeterioration (fungi, insects and non-biological agents). Project financed by the City of Turin
• September 2007: Won the Optime Prize "Menzione" of the Industrial Union of Turin for the MSc degree
• Won the second best poster prize at UKAS Archaeological Science, Cambridge. (Demarchi, B., Penkman, K & Collins, M. 2007 Prehistoric sea-shores: shells, humans and ice)
• Won the best student talk prize at the British Organic Geochemistry Society annual meeting (BOGS08), Newcastle (Demarchi, B. & Penkman, K 2008 AAR dating:geochemistry at the service at the past)
• Won the third best poster prize at International Symposium of Biomolecular Archaeology (ISBA3), York (Demarchi, B. & Penkman, K 2008 AAR and fossil shells: unveil the undatable)