Research Areas
EMAC researchers lead a wide range of research programs across several disciplines. A select few areas of interest are highlighted below.
Critical metals and minerals
Critical metals and minerals are vital to the green energy transition. Without them, there are no batteries, electric cars, or solar panels. Several EMAC researchers, in partnership with other members of industry, academia, and government, have active research programs studying critical metal and mineral deposits. Research includes identifying the processes that form and modify critical metal and mineral deposits and the development of new exploration techniques to locate deposits.
Archaeology
EMAC members lead a wide variety of archaeological research programs. One project examines relations between the materiality of economics and conceptions of power in African pre-colonial states, focusing on economic practices that shaped inequalities and political power in the Zulu Kingdom. Another examines the collapse of the Early Bronze Age III societies of the Southern Levant (modern-day Israel and Jordan) through the study of animal remains and the dating and analysis of ceramic artifacts. Other researchers are investigating past human responses to climate change and the spread of humans throughout the Americas, especially the early peopling of the Caribbean.
Pollutants
Pollutants entering the environment and causing adverse effects is a global problem. Several EMAC members are working on research projects related to pollutants, from the very micro to large scale waste management studies. Selected projects include examining nano-scale processes in soils, water, and air that affect the transport and sequestration of contaminants in the environment, studying the sources, fate, and types of microplastics in freshwaters, and the safe disposal of highly radioactive nuclear waste.