Phoebe Meyrick

Phoebe is a PhD candidate in archaeological science and biological anthropology. Her PhD project aims to elucidate the relationship between social inequality and a decrease in bone mineral density through microscopic techniques. This will be undertaken using histological samples from a medieval cemetery to investigate the impacts of social stratification on bone loss, alongside other archaeological and modern bone loss datasets. She hopes to establish spatial and temporal dynamics of bone loss and address why humans lose bone mass easily and how our bones have adapted to social changes through time. Her previous research projects have explored paleopathology in commingled human remains and medical intervention in anatomical human remains. Her specialties include palaeopathology and trauma analysis and fragmentary bone identification.

Experience: 

2020-2022 Bachelor of Science in Anthropological Science.

2023 Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Anthropology, First Class.

• Field School excavation: Otago post-moa hunting site.
• Research Assistant: History and acquisition of skeletal legacy collections. 

2024-2025 Master of Science in Biological Anthropology.

• Commercial excavation: Lawrence Chinese Mining Camp
• Laboratory Demonstrator - Biological Anthropology.

Awards:

University of Queensland Graduate School Scholarship

Conference presentations:

Meyrick, P., Sohler-Snoddy, A. M. E., Ford, A. (2023). Treponemal Disease in a Commingled Assemblage from Papua New Guinea. Annual Conference of the Australasian Society of Human Biology, Brisbane, Australia.

Meyrick, P., King, C., Halcrow, S. E. (2025). Reframing the bioarchaeology of care for anatomical collections: a Dunedin case study. Annual Conference of the Australasian Society of Human Biology, Auckland, New Zealand.