Federico Polisca

He holds a BA in Archaeology and an MA in Archaeological Sciences (both awarded with honours, 110/110 cum laude) from the University of Padova. From the outset of his academic career, he integrated Earth Science into his archaeological training by successfully attending courses in Geology and Natural Sciences. In 2018–2019, he spent ten months at the Institut für Naturwissenschaftliche Archäologie (University of Tübingen, Germany) as an Erasmus+ exchange student for research and thesis work.

Between 2017 and 2018, he undertook a one-year traineeship with geoarchaeologist and soil scientist Prof. Cristiano Nicosia, actively contributing to research projects and emergency excavations across a wide range of chronological and environmental contexts (Neolithic to Medieval; urban, intra-site and off-site settings).

After a period working as a freelance archaeologist in rescue archaeology, he earned his PhD in History, Criticism and Conservation of Cultural Heritage (37th cycle) at the University of Padova in 2025, with a project on the geoarchaeology of Bronze Age domestic stratigraphy (supervisor: Prof. C. Nicosia). The doctoral research was part of the ERC Consolidator Grant GEODAP.

Over the years, he has attended numerous international workshops, intensive courses and schools, including:

• 2025 – 4th School of Heavy Mineral Analysis (University of Milan Bicocca)

• 2023 – Winter School of Geomorphological Survey (14 ECTS in GEO/04; University of Camerino, ISPRA, AIGEO, National Council of Geologists)

• 2022 – International Workshop on Soil Micromorphology (University of Lleida, Spain)

• 2019 – International Workshop on Archaeological Soil Micromorphology (University of Basel, Switzerland)

• 2019 – Wiener Lab Field School on Site Formation, Stratigraphy and Geoarchaeology (Dr P. Karkanas, Prof. P. Goldberg – American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Greece)

• 2018 – Course in Archaeological Micromorphology (Dr R.I. Macphail – University College London, UK)

In 2019, he worked as a research assistant in anthracology at the University of Tübingen (Prof. K. Deckers), contributing to the ERC Starting Grant project CLaSS – Climate, Landscape, Settlement and Society: Exploring Human-Environment Interaction in the Ancient Near East.

From 2021 to 2024, he was a doctoral researcher within the ERC Consolidator Grant GEODAP, where he took part in all fieldwork, sampling and post-excavation phases. Since 2024, he has been a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Department of Geosciences, University of Padova, continuing his work on the same project.

Between 2019 and 2024, he received three teaching innovation grants from the University of Padova, totalling €27,500. These projects aimed to enhance student engagement in the Archaeology and Archaeological Sciences degree programmes through hands-on field and laboratory experience in geoarchaeology. The funding supported the acquisition of equipment and the organisation of field-based training campaigns focused on palaeoenvironmental reconstruction, where students were actively involved from project planning to data interpretation.

From 2022 to 2025, he contributed to teaching in the MA programme in Archaeological Sciences at the University of Padova, delivering 20 hours per year of lectures and lab-based sessions for the course Geoarchaeology and Soil Micromorphology (course leader: Prof. C. Nicosia). In the academic years 2022–2023 and 2024–2025, he also taught Geoarchaeology at the School of Specialisation in Archaeological Heritage (course leader: Prof. M. Gleba).

In September 2025, he co-organised the first International Summer School in Archaeological Micromorphology (Department of Geosciences, University of Padova) in collaboration with Prof. C. Nicosia and Dr Matthew Canti (Historic England, UK).

From the academic year 2025/2026, he is Adjunct Lecturer in Geoarchaeology at the University of Bologna (MA in Archaeology and Ancient Cultures).

He is author and co-author of several peer-reviewed scientific publications in international journals such as Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, Journal of Archaeological Science, PLOS ONE, and Environmental Archaeology, as well as contributions to edited volumes.

He has organised scientific sessions (e.g. IUSS 2024, Kiel Conference 2023) and regularly presents at national (IIPP, IAPP) and international conferences (DIG, UISPP, IUSS, EAA).

He is excavation director at the Middle Neolithic site of Fimon – Molino Casarotto (Berici Hills, Vicenza) and at the Middle/Late Bronze Age settlement of La Muraiola di Povegliano Veronese (Verona), both field projects coordinated by the Department of Geosciences, University of Padova. In both cases, he is also responsible for geoarchaeological and micromorphological analysis.

He coordinates micromorphological studies at other Bronze Age sites under excavation by the Universities of Padova and Bologna, including Oppeano 4D, Monte della Croce, and Ca’ Nova di Albareto.

He is a member of:

• IIPP – Istituto Italiano di Preistoria e Protostoria (Associate Member)

• UISPP – International Union of Prehistoric and Protohistoric Sciences, as official representative of IIPP within the commission Metal Ages in Europe and the Mediterranean

• 2023 – Teaching Innovation Grant (€12,500): HINT – Hands IN the dirT: Field Geoarchaeology from Planning to Results (University of Padova)

• 2023 – IPERION HS Grant: SAFARI – Secondary Apatite Formation in ARchaeological sItes (PI: C. Nicosia, co-PI: F. Polisca)

• 2021 – IIPP-funded three-year UISPP membership for PhD students and postdocs

• 2020 – PhD Fellowship (ICArHEB, University of Algarve, Portugal – declined)

• 2019 – Teaching Innovation Grant (€5,000): PEAT – Palaeoenvironment, Archaeology and Territory (University of Padova)

• 2018 – Teaching Innovation Grant (€10,000): From Land to Lab – Geoarchaeological Training on Wetland Settlements (University of Padova)

• 2016 – Merit Scholarship “Mille e una Lode” for best undergraduate student in Archaeology

Since 2025, he has been a peer reviewer for the Journal of Archaeological Science.