Meriel McClatchie is an Associate Professor of Archaeology and a deputy director of the Earth Institute at University College Dublin. She is an archaeobotanist who examines the remains of plants recovered from archaeological excavations. Meriel established the Ancient Foods research group at UCD, where she and her team investigate food preferences and farming practices in Ireland over the past 10,000 years. The plant remains she examines most often are seeds because they are relatively robust plant components and can preserve well when burnt or waterlogged.
As well as examining past food systems, Meriel’s research includes the promotion of sustainable farming practices in modern societies, using archaeobotanical evidence to understand how we have got to where we are today and how we might adapt for the future.