My academic life continues to evolve along two intertwining paths. I am engaged in research that seeks to uncover the history of our species, especially fascinated by the transition from hunting and gathering to farming, a transition that forever changed the course of human existence. The Near East, and in particular the Levantine Corridor, has been always a focus of research into the origins of food production because its continuous archaeological record of the transformation to village life and, ultimately, the beginnings of urban civilization. I have been focusing on the Epipaleolithic cultures, in particular the Natufian (ca. 15,000-11,500 BP) and the transition to the early Neolithic. Accordingly, I have initiated and directed several excavation projects and collaborated with other researchers in joint projects.
A major interest for me is the incorporation of exact sciences methodologies into archaeological research, “to understand the past with the tools of tomorrow”. Therefore, I founded in 2010, and continue to direct, the Computational Archaeology Laboratory, which focuses on developing mathematical and computational tools to address archaeological questions. The dynamic group of students under my supervision takes part in both archaeological field research and archaeological sciences, to join forces in the research goals that we have set. I believe we can demonstrate how this approach enriches archaeological research, some of which is reflected in my own research detailed below.