Francesc Burjachs

Francesc Burjachs

Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social

Humanities

Born on 3rd August 1955 in Blanes, Catalonia. Dissertation on Paleopalynology, Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB, 1985). DEA on Quaternary, MNHN-IPH, Paris (1986). PhD in Biological Sciences (UAB, 1990). Contributor of the Botany Department (UAB, 1979-1990). Director and co-director of several archaeological excavations. Hired researcher at Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera, CSIC, Barcelona (1990-1998). Research Assistant at Catholic University of Louvain-La-Neuve (1994). Associate Professor at University Rovira i Virgili (URV), Tarragona since 1998. ICREA Research Professor at URV (2001-2007) and at the Catalan Institute of Human Palaeoecology and Social Evolution (IPHES) since 2008. Training stages of palynological research abroad: CRA, Sophia Antipolis, France (1978) with Prof. M. Girard; IPH, Paris (1985-1987) with Prof. J. Renault-Miskovsky, and University La Sapienza, Roma (1991) with Prof. M. Follieri. He has published more than 390 papers and reports.

Research interests

My investigation seeks to understand the climatic changes that happened along human evolution. This information is important to appreciate some of the factors which have influenced our evolution towards the current species. More precisely, my work is developed in the science of Palynology, which basically consists in the study of the fossil pollen trapped in the soil that our ancestors stepped on. In this way, we can describe the landscape in which they lived, the climate they endured, the vegetables they ate, etc.

Selected publications

- Ochando J, Amorós G, Carrión JS, Fernández S, Munuera M, Camuera J, Jiménez-Moreno G, González-Sampériz P, Burjachs F, Marín-Arroyo AB, Roksandic M & Finlayson C 2022, ‘Iberian Neanderthals in forests and savannahs', Journal of Quaternary Science, vol. 37 (2), pp. 335-362.

- Githumbi E et al. & LandClimII data contributors (Burjachs F) 2022, ‘European pollen-based REVEALS land-cover reconstructions for the Holocene: methodology, mapping and potentials’, Earth System Science Data, vol. 14, pp. 1581-1619.

- Revelles J, Allué E, Alcolea M, Antolín F, Berihuete-Azorín M, Expósito I, Garay B, Mas B, Piqué R, Obea L, Val-Peón C & Burjachs F 2022, ‘Site formation processes, human activities and palaeoenvironmental reconstructions from archaeobotanical records in cave and rock-shelter sites in NE Iberia’. Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, vol. 299,104612.

- Piqué R, Revelles J, Riera S, Alcolea M, Allué E, Ejarque A, Burjachs F, Garcés-Pastor S, Mas B, Miras Y, Obea L, Pèlachs A, Pérez-Obiol R & Vegas-Vilarrúbia T 2022, ‘El paisatge i l’aprofitament de recursos forestals durant el neolític antic a Catalunya’. Cypsela, vol. 22, pp 27-54. ISSN: 0213-3431.

- Expósito I, Allué E & Burjachs F 2022, ‘Vegetation and Climate at El Mirador Cave: Exploring the Beginning of Cultural Landscapes’. In: Allué E, Martín P & Vergès JM (eds) Prehistoric Herders and Farmers. Book series: Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology, pp 35-55. Springer, Cham.

- Sala R et al. 2022, ‘Le peuplement humain pendant le Pléistocène et l’Holocène dans la Province de Jerada, Maroc Oriental : Introduction d’un projet de recherche’. Bulletin d'Archéologie Marocaine, vol. 27, pp 27-40.

Selected research activities

Advisor of 'Juan de la Cierva-Incorporación' (ref IJC2020-045876-I) and 'Margarita Salas' (CSG).

Researcher of project: Using climate envelope models to predict spatial and temporal distribution patterns of climate-related Quaternary extinctions (QUATEXT), MICINN ref. PID2021-122533NB-I00.

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