Joseph Mitchell

Dr. Mitchell is a North American archaeologist specializing in environmental geochemistry and mollusk paleoecology. He joined Nichols in 2018, having previously taught at Mississippi State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Worcester State University, and Fitchburg State University. As an archaeologist, Dr. Mitchell has worked in the field and conducted research at sites throughout the Southeastern US, and most recently in central Massachusetts. His primary area of research involves mollusk remains recovered from archaeological sites, which represent animals collected and eaten by native peoples from their local waterways. These deposits are then used to help better understand historic changes and trends in freshwater mussel communities with the goal of aiding conservation efforts of modern populations. Dr. Mitchell’s other research interests include taphonomy, petrography, biogeography, climate change, isotope geochemistry, carbonate diagenesis, evolutionary theory, prehistoric human settlement patterns, and interdisciplinary studies.

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