Contacts
Shimona is an archaeologist and palaeobiologist with a key interest in the early movements of people, cultures, and animals throughout the islands of the Asia-Pacific. In particular, the patterns of occupation & cultures in island communities over the last ~50,000 years in Wallacea, and the biological & ecological impacts of early human arrival on islands.
Shimona works with geographic information systems (GIS), palaeogeographic reconstruction, biogeographic modelling, and phylogenetic analysis to explore the palaeo-archipelagos north of Australia and the people and animals who lived there. Her research currently involves archaeological surveys and excavations in Indonesia and Timor-Leste, as well as multidisciplinary projects combining archaeology with molecular and morphological phylogenetics to investigate possible prehistoric translocations of animals to Asia-Pacific islands.
Research interests
- The prehistoric movements of people through Southeast Asia and Australasia
- The biological & ecological impacts of early human arrival on islands
- Patterns of occupation & cultures in island communities over the last ~50,000 years in Wallacea
- Building up the network of collaborative research & training between Indonesia and Australia with a particular focus on the disciplines of Archaeology, Palaeontology, and Biology.
Groups
- Researcher, Earth systems
- Researcher, Adaptation, livelihoods and development in Asia and the Pacific