Hello, my name is Dr. Gina Palefsky.

I am an archaeologist at the Augustana University Archaeology Laboratory in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I earned a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2015 and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Humanities from the University of California, Merced in 2023. My research uses stable and radiogenic isotope analysis to understand what ancient people ate and how past foodways have varied over time and in response to social, cultural, and environmental changes. My most recent project investigated foodways in Metal Age central Thailand (c. 1100 BCE - CE 500), documenting regional traditions of millet consumption and broad-spectrum foraging that were distinctive from neighboring communities in the northeast, where rice agriculture predominated. I also have experience excavating, analyzing, and curating human skeletal remains that I honed during collaborative projects in Thailand and Laos, and as an Osteology Assistant at the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology. 

At Augustana, my role involves research, fieldwork, and teaching, and my day-to-day focus has shifted to the history of South Dakota and archaeology of the Great Plains. Augustana's mission and core values have encouraged me to think about my work as a vocation: where my interests and skills meet my community's needs. I am currently coordinating repatriation efforts across campus and collaborating with colleagues in the Archaeology Lab to write a historic context document for water conveyance sites and structures in South Dakota. In the fall, I will teach a first year seminar on crafts and material culture. It has been a joy to be welcomed into such a vibrant and supportive community at Augustana, and I feel happy and honored to be able to put down roots in Sioux Falls. Beyond work, I enjoy gardening, doing a variety of crafts, including pottery, beading, and stitching, and spending time with my husband and two cats.