We wish to extend a very warm welcome to our new Trustees! Becoming a BABAO Trustee is an opportunity to become more engaged in the fields of biological anthropology and osteoarchaeology in the UK, working to steer and support our community.
Each trustee must complete an induction process, which includes completing accredited online training in: Role of a Management Committee; Equality and Diversity; and GDPR and Confidentiality. They will be given a hand-over document, written by their predecessor, which must be maintained and updated throughout their tenure. The trustees typically meet four times a year (within the UK), with at least one of these meetings being in-person, the rest are virtual. All trustee business uses our Google Drive. Trustee activities and behaviours must comply with our Standard Operating Procedures and policies (e.g. GDPR).
Get to know our new Trustees, Adelina, Maia and Kirsty, here!
Representative from a Professional Organisation: Adelina Teoaca
Adelina joined the Canterbury Archaeological Trust in 2015 as a field archaeologist and currently serves as the Finds and Archive Manager, as well as the resident osteoarchaeologist. Her research focuses on the osteobiographies of individuals from Canterbury and Kent, specifically from the Late Roman to the Early Anglo-Saxon transition period. She is a strong supporter of a fully interdisciplinary approach to archaeology and believe that collaboration is the key to valuable research. She is also a strong proponent of a healthy work-life balance. Therefore, while she does respond to emails outside of regular work hours, you might find her doing so while gardening with her cat or collecting sea glass on the beach.
The Representative from a Professional Organisation will take up their post immediately.
Grants Secretary: Maia Casna
Maia is currently finishing her PhD at Leiden University in the Netherlands, where she studies respiratory disease in relation to urbanization processes in the Medieval and Post-medieval periods. Whenever she’s not working, she loves spending time outdoors! Maia loves camping, trekking, and climbing— She’s a big, big fan of mountains!
The Grants Secretary will take up their position at the Annual General Meeting in September 2024.
Membership Secretary: Kirsty Squires
Kirsty is an Associate Professor of Bioarchaeology at Staffordshire University in the UK. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) Archaeology from the University of Nottingham and holds an MSc Human Osteology and Funerary Archaeology and a PhD (under the supervision of Prof. Andrew Chamberlain and Prof. Dawn Hadley), both from the University of Sheffield. Following her PhD, Kirsty worked in commercial archaeology before moving into academia. In 2017 she received an MA Education from Staffordshire University. Her research interests focus on three primary areas, namely the analysis and interpretation of cremated bone, non-adult bioarchaeology, and ethics in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. She is currently concluding an Arts and Humanities Research Council funded project exploring the health, development, and mortuary treatment of non-adults housed in the Capuchin Catacombs in Palermo, Sicily.
The Membership Secretary will officially take over the role at the Annual General Meeting in September 2025, but for this position we would like to introduce a changeover period of one year during which the position will be shared with the current Membership Secretary.
Want to be part of BABAO’s Board of Trustees? We are looking for an Outreach Officer. Nominations will open soon!