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Archaeology
Dr. Laure Spake receives Dean’s Convocation Medal
SFU Archaeology PhD student Laure Spake has received a Dean’s Convocation Medal for her work on mortality bias.
After completing her undergrad at McGill in History and Anthropology, she headed to SFU to pursue a master’s degree and is now graduating with a PhD. Supervised by Hugo Cardoso, she cemented a passion in Bioarchaeology.
Laure’s doctoral thesis explores mortality bias, which arises when researchers only study remains of people who died before adulthood and use that data to infer the childhood development of a population.
To fill the gap in this area of research, Laure analyzed historical and contemporary juvenile skeletons. She concludes that there is likely a developmental difference between children who make it to adulthood and those who don’t. Her findings can help future researchers reveal important information about human populations.
“The complexity of the human skeleton and the growth and development process that happens between birth and adulthood is just fascinating” Laure says.
The Dean’s Convocation Medal is awarded by the Dean of Graduate Studies (by nomination) for outstanding academic performance and a quality thesis or dissertation.
In addition to her impressive academic achievements, Laure was highly involved on campus. Going for runs with friends on Burnaby Mountain trails turned her into an ultra-distance runner and avid outdoorsperson. She is also grateful for her experience managing an Archaeology lab, chairing her Graduate Caucus, as well as working in SFU’s Centre for Forensic Research.
SFU has been special to Laure, because “you’re able to explore all the interests you have and learn about anything you want.”
Taking various electives broadened her perspective on important topics like Indigenous repatriation. One of her proudest achievements is co-editing a book on this topic, challenging colonial perspectives across Archaeology.
Graduating from her PhD this year, Laure has taken on a Research Fellow position at the University of Otago in New Zealand. She is currently exploring the evolutionary demography of religion, which has involved interviewing 1600 mothers about their family lives.
“I am interested in the intersection between anthropology, archaeology, and biology to see where we can learn more about the human condition” Laure says.
What’s next for Laure as the world opens up? She is eager to move to New Zealand and continue working, and to experience its beautiful natural landscapes.
Congratulations on your important doctoral thesis work. This Convocation Medal is well-deserved!
More about Laure Spake's research: https://www.sfu.ca/gradstudies/life-community/people-research/profiles/fenv/2021/laure-spake-deans-convocation-medal.html