Jordi Rosell Ardèvol

Principal Investigator

Specializing in Zooarchaeology and Taphonomy, he has been a researcher at the Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona affiliated with the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) since 2003. His primary research interests focus on the occupational patterns of Neanderthals (and earlier hominins) and their interactions with carnivores, aiming to shed light on key aspects of human behavioural evolution.

Maite Arilla Osuna

Scientific Manager

My research focuses on understanding hominin-carnivore interactions during the Pleistocene through taphonomic and zooarchaeological analyses. I have developed a framework based on neo-taphonomic studies of carnivores in the Catalan Pyrenees (Lleida), aimed at improving our understanding of taphonomic processes at archaeological sites. By examining carcasses consumed by these carnivores and conducting experimental reproductions, such as simulated short-term hominin campsites and burials, I aim to gather data that can be applied to Pleistocene faunal assemblages. This combination of approaches helps build models that explain the formation of fossil vertebrate faunas and address complex taphonomic questions.

Iñaki Pérez Fernández

Scientific IT Specialist

As a Scientific IT Specialist, I provide advanced technical support and IT solutions for scientific projects. My role involves managing IT infrastructures, analyzing scientific data, developing custom tools, and optimizing systems to enhance research efficiency. With a focus on technological innovation, I ensure the effective use of computing, storage, and networking platforms to support the success of scientific and research environments.

Gabriel Cifuentes-Alcobenda

Postdoctoral Researcher

As a taphonomist, I study the imprints left by various taphonomic agents on Palaeolithic archaeological sites. I am dedicated to using new technologies to document and analyze archaeological assemblages in new ways. Additionally, I have conducted actualistic neo-taphonomic research to better understand the traces left by different taphonomic processes on archaeological materials. I have collaborated with international interdisciplinary teams such as CSIC, CENIEH, IDEA, YEAR Centre, ICArEHB, and now IPHES, and I have conducted archaeological research in five different countries.

Daniel Vivar Ríos

PhD student

Graduated in Archaeology from the University of Granada (2018), specializing in Recent Prehistory of the southern Iberian Peninsula. I completed an Erasmus Mundus Master’s in Quaternary Archaeology at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, with a research stay at the MNHN, Paris (2023). My master’s tesis was focuses on savanna chimpanzee tools in Dindefelo, Senegal. Currently carrying out as PhD studies with the Martí Franqués Predoctoral Fellowship (2024PMF-PIPF-47) in European Research Council project studying Middle Palaeolithic site formation processes. My work integrates neo-taphonomic studies, experimental programs, and spatial analysis.

Barat Arnaud

PhD student

After studying modern and contemporary history with a focus on historical demography, political and social history and the history of mentalities at the University of Bordeaux (Maîtrise), I did a Master’s degree in sciences for archaeology at the University of Perpignan. Trained at the CERPT (Centre Européen de Recherche de Tautavel) and the HNHP (Histoire Naturelle de l’Homme Préhistorique) laboratory, my Master’s research focused on the acquisition of new bibliographical data for the SCHOPPER project, which aims to assess the environmental and behavioural conditions at each archaeological level at Caune de l’Arago (Tautavel, France) between 560,000 and 90,000 years BP, using machine learning. My work has focused more specifically on the themes of occupation duration and site function, through the collection of new data at the crossroads of ethno-archaeology and archaeozoology, thanks to the study of current and sub-current hunter-gatherers in cold zones (Sami, Inuit and Siberian peoples), with a view to parameterising a behavioural simulation applicable to prehistoric archaeology.

Rubén Llorente

PhD student

I am a predoctoral researcher in the SCAVENGERS project. I graduated in Archaeology from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and completed the Master’s Degree in Human Evolution at the Universidad de Burgos. My research has primarily focused on taphonomic and zooarchaeological studies applied to experimental assemblages, carried out at IPHES-CERCA. At this institution I continued my training as a zooarchaeology laboratory technician, where I played an important role in the creation and development of the taphonomic collection. Additionally, I have participated in archaeological excavations of diverse chronologies at sites across Spain.