We are happy to announce that a member of our group, Mari Tõrv, research fellow in the Archemy team, is one of the three Estonian researchers to receive the Baltic Women in Science fellowship this year!

Mari’s research delves into the biological and cultural diversity of ancient humans, emphasizing the duality of the human body as both a historical and cultural construct and a biological reality. She studies life and death in past cultures through the analysis of ancient human remains, highlighting the importance of understanding end-of-life rituals to fully grasp human nature, a subject often taboo in the Western world.

Tarmo Soomere, President of the Estonian Academy of Sciences emphasized “Talented and successful women scientists deserve to be highlighted and recognised across the whole spectrum of science. Their example inspires and ignites.”

The fellowships were funded by the Ministry of Education and Research and awarded within the program co-organised by the Baltic National Academies of Sciences and National Commissions for UNESCO. The fellowship is aimed to support the research of young women scientists to continue their outstanding work in the Baltic States. 

See the video below, where Mari talks more about her research. The basis of this blog post and information on the work of the other two laureates can be found here. 

We are happy to announce that Ester Oras, Associate Professor in our Analytical Chemistry Chair and PI of the Archemy group has received the honorary title “Female Academic of the Year” from the Estonian Association of Academic Women! 

Ester is a modern scientist who works across multiple disciplines, integrating methods from archaeology, chemistry, biology, and even food science. Her research is primarily focused on ancient diets in Northern Europe, particularly in Estonia. Through this work, she established the first archaeochemistry lab in the Baltic region called “Archemy” at the Univeristy of Tartu. Her studies focus on ancient food practices — what people ate, how diets varied between social classes, and how food was tied to broader economic and cultural systems. She has also applied her expertise in archaeochemistry to investigate topics such as ancient migrations and Stone Age crafting technologies.

At the same time, Ester’s research extends well beyond Estonia. She has trained at leading research institutions worldwide, including Oxford, Cambridge, Max Planck Institute, and Weizmann Institute, mastering advanced analytical techniques like mass spectrometry and chromatography. Internationally regarded as an expert in the biomolecular analysis of food remains, she collaborates with researchers from countries like Germany, Finland, and the UK. Her work has been published in over 50 scientific articles across top journals in archaeology and natural sciences. In recognition of her groundbreaking research, she was recently awarded the prestigious ERC Starting Grant, and she holds several international leadership roles in organizations such as the International Society for Biomolecular Archaeology.

Beyond her scientific work, Ester is deeply committed to public outreach and gender equality in science. She regularly speaks at schools, museums, and on television, raising awareness about archaeology and inspiring future generations of scientists. She is an advocate for women in science, having launched also in Estonia the celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and contributing to numerous international gender equality projects. Her leadership extends to the University of Tartu, where she has been part of developing the university’s gender equality plan and growing a more inclusive academic environment. Through her interdisciplinary research, international collaborations, and dedication to social issues, Ester is shaping both the future of science and the role of scientists in society.

Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition, Ester!

We are delighted to announce that the prestigious ERC Starting Grant was awarded to a member of our group and head of the Archemy team  – Associate Professor in Analytical Chemistry and Archaeology Ester Oras!

The European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant is awarded to early-stage researchers to carry out their outstanding ideas over the next five years. Ester’s project aims to explore our distant ancestor’s identities through diet by conducting biomolecular analysis on at least 150 burial finds, uncovering details of life from a thousand years ago.

Food is a crucial element in understanding identity, revealing details about social roles, status, and even how the person spent their childhood. By examining bones, teeth, and food residues from pottery, the team can reconstruct how a person’s diet evolved over their lifetime. This will help answer questions like whether an individual ate foods typical of their gender or social class and if they grew up in the area where they were buried.

During the project, various burial finds will be analysed, focusing primarily on sites in Estonia from the years 1000–1400. Using advanced techniques, the team will analyse various molecules, including fats, proteins, and DNA, to uncover specific details about what ancient people ate. This comprehensive approach could even identify not only if the person ate fish but also whether it was cod or herring, offering a deeper look into the lives of our ancestors.

What makes this research groundbreaking is its combination of modern scientific methods with traditional archaeology. Machine learning will be used to integrate the results from various analyses, helping to identify connections between individuals and communities. The project marks a significant step forward for archaeological research, offering new perspectives on ancient identities and social structures.

Read the original blog post here.

Congratulations from all of us, Ester!

We are happy to announce that Mari Tõrv, Research Fellow in Analytical and Physical Chemistry and Associate Professor of Archaeology at the University of Tartu, was awarded the Professor Peeter Tulviste Memorial Fund scholarship.

Her interdisciplinary research combines archaeological heritage and analytical chemistry to gain insight into people’s past habits and practices. By applying both – humanities and natural sciences – she has improved our knowledge on human diet, diseases, and even funeral rites.

Besides research, she has been part of creating an infrastructure for preserving archaeological heritage digitally, founding the Estonian Association of Archaeologists, and developing the webpage eestijuured.ee to gather and promote the research about the ethnic history of Estonia during the last 11,000 years from the first hunter-gatherers to the digital nomads that we are today. 

For Mari, the scholarship was a great recognition. “The scholarship proves that understanding cultural heritage is important in today’s crisis-torn world because it is the basis of our common identity.” She plans to use this scholarship to research further the culture of death by bringing together the analytical tools from biomolecular archaeology and social theory.

Mari obtained her PhD in archaeology in 2016 with joint supervision from the University of Tartu and the Christian-Albrecht University of Kiel. Since 2017, she has led the Collegium for Transdisciplinary Studies in Archaeology, Genetics, and Linguistics at the University of Tartu. In the Chair of Analytical Chemistry, she is part of the Archemy research group, where her expertise lays on stable isotope analysis of human and animal tissues. 

Read more here from the original post. 

Congratulations, Mari!