People – Paleolithic Technology Laboratory'

Paleolithic Technology Laboratory

Department of Anthropology, Emory University

Dietrich Stout, PhD

dwstout [at] emory [dot] edu | Curriculum Vitae | Google Scholar

Dietrich Stout’s research focus on Paleolithic stone tool-making and human brain evolution integrates methods ranging from archaeological survey, excavation, and artifact analysis to experimental tool replication, psychometric testing, and brain imaging.

Dr. Stout has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications including articles in journals ranging from Science to Current Anthropology, The Journal of Human Evolution, and The Journal of Neuroscience.

Research Interests: Evolution of brain and cognition; paleolithic archaeology; lithic technology; experimental anthropology; cognitive neuroscience

Current positions:

Chair and Professor, Department of Anthropology, Emory University

Director, Emory University Center for Mind, Brain, and Culture

Program Director, Graduate Certificate in Mind, Brain, and Culture

Lab Personnel

Marianna Fusco, PhD | Postdoctoral Fellow

marianna [dot] fusco [at] emory [dot] edu | Curriculum Vitae | Google Scholar

Dr. Marianna Fusco completed her major and Master’s in Archaeology at the University of Naples l’Orientale and earned her PhD in Paleolithic Archaeology from La Sapienza University in Rome in 2019. Her dissertation focused on technological and statistical analyses of the Middle to Late Stone Age transition in the Horn of Africa. Dr. Fusco currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator and field director for an archaeological mission in southern Ethiopia, where she leads site excavation efforts.

Research interests: human evolution; lithic technology; African prehistory

Mariana B. M. Correia, MSc | Graduate Student

mariana [dot] bicalho [dot] maia [dot] correia [at] emory [dot] edu | Curriculum Vitae | Google Scholar

Mariana is a Fulbright doctoral student in Biological Anthropology interested in the evolutionary origins of complex cognitive traits. Through a comparative approach, drawing parallels between humans and nonhuman primates, Mariana investigates the behavioral, cognitive, and neural mechanisms underlying tool use. Prior to joining Emory, Mariana completed her Master’s degree in Neuroscience, and majored in Biological Sciences from the University of Brasilia, in Brazil. She has experience in the areas of Neurophysiology, Psychopharmacology and Animal Behavior, and has conducted prior research on animal models of psychiatric disorders.

Research interests: evolution of cognition; social learning and social cognition; cognitive neuroscience; tool-making and tool use; primatology

Shantanu Katiyar, MSc | Graduate Student

shantanu [dot] katiyar [at] emory [dot] edu | Curriculum Vitae | Google Scholar

Shantanu’s academic background is in prehistoric archaeology, with research experience analyzing Acheulean stone tool technologies. Broadly, he is interested in the learning processes behind stone tool production, with a particular focus on how novices acquire knapping skills, the role of material constraints in shaping technological choices, and the cognitive implications of early stone toolmaking.

Research interests: experimental archaeology; lithic analysis; Acheulean technology; skill acquisition

Ciel (Xiaoyu) Wang, MSc | Visiting Graduate Student

wangxiaoyu28 [at] outlook [dot] com | Curriculum Vitae

Ciel Wang is a Ph.D. student from the School of Cultural Heritage at Northwest University in Xi’an, China, specializing in lithic technology and prehistoric archaeology. She has previously worked on the origins of microblade technology in the Upper Paleolithic of Northeast Asia. More recently, she has been studying ancient human cognition, examining how stone tool making relates to human behavior and cognitive abiblities. Ciel is currently working on a doctoral dissertation examining the lithic technology and human behavior at Shuidonggou Locality 1 at the initial Upper Paleolithic to uncover the underlying mechanisms of cultural change in Northern China during this period.

Research interests: lithic technology; cognitive archaeology; hierarchical behavior; stone knapping