Kerstin Lidén

About me

My research career has been characterised by inter- and cross-disciplinary research, rooted in my background in both biology and archaeology. Above all, I am an innovator, having initiated and introduced both new methods and new fields of research [e.g. 1, 4, 5, 6], a mentor, demonstrated by the training and advancement of young researchers, and a strategist, as shown in my engagement in the policy for research, my being appointed Head of Dept for more than a decade, and my successful attraction of major grants, in total >13,000,000 Euro from different international and national funding agencies.

My wide network and extensive collaboration with international colleagues bear witness to my capacity as a research leader. I have published c. 140 publications, demonstrating my wide scientific expertise and interest, in e.g. Nature, Science, Oecologia, J Arch Sci, Int J Osteoarch, Archaeometry, Antiquity, Biology Letters, Fornvännen, PLoS ONE, Mol Ecol, BMC, Anthropozoologica, Gen Sel Evol, Sci Rep, Arch Korrespondenzblatt, Phil Trans Roy Soc B, Antropologia, Ecol and Evol, Quat Int, Anthrop Anz, Mol Ecol Res, Int J Palaeopath, J Am Chem Soc, and Proc Roy Soc B.

My Google Scholar h-index=31 (i10-index=54), citations n=4260, and my Web of Science 2001-2020 h-index=18, avg citations/publ=19.29, total publ=59, sum of times cited=1138 (without self-citations 927), citing articles: 959 (without self-citations 927) (some publications are missing from the Web of Science and Google Scholar, for a full List of Publications, please see CV.

My vision of sound leadership is to act, but not necessarily to be seen. During the past decade, I have been a successful leader by co-operatively working to create four strategic research platforms (I–IV), enabling young researchers to develop their own research interests to become excellent and independent researchers. These platforms have worked as stepping stones for young scholars/students joining my laboratory.

1. Application of new methods: My research interest has led me to introduce and develop new methods and applications of stable isotope analysis in archaeology, as well as in ecology. Working with one of the pioneers in the field, Prof. Erle Nelson at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, I introduced stable isotope analysis in Swedish archaeology. Together with my PhD students, I subsequently developed and refined the application, with regard to the impact of different collagen extraction methods on amino acids and bulk isotope values of collagen, the effect of presence of lipids, the importance of including local, contemporary faunal reference materials in the interpretation of human diets, the use of different skeletal elements from a single individual to study life-history changes, the importance of identifying the diet in areas with multiple carbon reservoirs to achieve high-resolution radiocarbon dates [5], refining what tissues to use in stable isotope analysis, developing a method to use deciduous teeth to trace prehistoric breastfeeding duration and weaning at the individual level [1, 3], achieving higher resolution by analysing individual amino acids, i.e. compound[1]specific isotope analyses, the incorporation of additional isotopes: sulphur, strontium and oxygen isotopes in our studies, such as 87Sr/86Sr analysis using TIMS and LA-ICP-MS to get both bulk values and sequential data from our samples [6, 7]. Together with my first PhD student Götherström, I introduced aDNA analysis on archaeological materials in Sweden and we applied this to address e.g. the Neanderthal’s relation to anatomically modern humans, the introduction of farming in Scandinavia, the occurrence of lactase persistence, the relocation of animals [e.g. 4] and the study of pathological microbes. Götherström is now full professor and one of two directors of the Center for Palaeogenetics at SU.
2. Environmental Science: My interest in climate and the environment led me to introduce Environmental Humanities at SU together with colleagues in Environmental Social Science and Environmental Law. We developed a transdisciplinary concept attracting international postdoctoral fellows from different disciplines within the Humanities, Social sciences and Law, many of which are now fully-fledged researchers with new positions. My interest was also expressed in organising a session on the then emerging field of environmental humanities, at the International Association of Landscape Archaeology Conference in Uppsala 2015, resulting in an edited book. Recently, I introduced Glacier Archaeology in Sweden, with regular surveys being conducted along melting snow patches and glaciers in Swedish Sápmi, in close collaboration with the local county museums as well as the local Sámi villages in the areas we survey. The fact that we are now in the Anthropocene prompted a much longer time perspective on human impact on our environment, which led me to realise the prospects of using the Baltic Sea as a prehistoric timeline experiment for how humans interacted with a changing environment, be it induced by a changing climate, overhunting of marine resources or other human impacts. I therefore initiated several projects on climatic and environmental impact on human populations and marine mammals living in and around the Baltic Sea. One of these was given to, and headed by, the then postdoctoral fellow Glykou [6, 8], who later developed the idea into an application for an ERC Consolidator Grant. My interest in marine mammals is also evidenced in my participation in a Marie Curie ITN where two of the ESRs worked on marine mammals [10].
3. Promoting young scholars and students: Since 2001 I have successfully led 21 PhD students to completion, of which14 are still active in academia, some extremely successful professors, heading their own Lidén Part B1 CrisConClimate 14 laboratories. My genuine interest in promoting young students and scholars has led me to engage as a co[1]applicant in two Marie Curie ITNs, LeCHE (PI Götherström) and ArchSci2020 (PI Collins), in which I successfully led four PhD students to double PhD degrees, with one pending, due to maternal leave. These international programmes have been inspiring to all participants, not only to the PhD students, but also an inspiration to my department, to my faculty and also to other university departments worldwide. Not only because the programmes were successful, but also since we unanimously decided to share our previous successful proposals with those interested. I was also member of the scientific advisory board for another Marie Curie ITN, Forging identities. In my ambition to promote young students I also took part in the restructuring of SU Research School In The Humanities in 2015. I find it more rewarding to promote young scholars than to put myself in the lead seat, thus I am more often found as last author than first, although I am usually the initiator of the project, the project designer (though not as frequently doing the actual labwork), taking part in the analysis, interpretation and instrumental in writing the articles, as well as in funding.
4. Policy for research: The Young Academy of Sweden (SUA) was initiated by, the then secretary general of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, prof Öquist. I was involved from the very beginning, visiting the then three existing young academies in Europe, involved in selecting the members as well as hiring their first staff secretary. It is now an independent academy with high status and a major influence on Swedish policy for research. During several years, I was part of the Royal Swedish Academy’s working group for policy for research, engaging with national politicians, particularly prior to elections, but also promoting issues concerning research and education and at the same time publishing several articles in different Swedish newspapers. We also organised and participated in conferences on policy for research at the Academy. Subsequently, I became a board member in RiFO (Members of the Swedish Parliament and Researchers) during 2007–2017, as vice chair during the last year. RiFO engages in how research can be better used in politicians’ decision making. My interest in policy for research also resulted in me being member of Science Europe’s Scientific Committee for the Humanities, nominated by the Swedish Research Council. I was member of the Arts and Humanities panel from its start in 2013, until it merged with Social Sciences in 2017. During this period, we produced two opinion papers: Radical innovation: Humanities research crossing knowledge boundaries and fostering deep change, and The Human Factor in the 2014–2015 Work Programme of the Horizon 2020 Societal Challenges.

[1] Howcroft, R., Eriksson, G. & Lidén, K. 2012. Conformity in diversity? Isotopic

investigations of infant feeding practices in two Iron Age populations

from southern Öland, Sweden. American Journal of Physical

Anthropology 149:217–230.

[2] Eriksson, G., Papmehl-Dufay, L. & Lidén, K. 2013 Cultural interaction and change

- a multi-isotopic approach to the Neolithization in coastal areas. World

Archaeology 45(3):430–446.

[3] Howcroft, R., Eriksson, G. & Lidén, K. 2014 Infant feeding practices at the Pitted

Ware Culture site of Ajvide, Gotland. Journal of Anthropological

Archaeology 34:42-53.

[4] Ahlgren, H., Norén, K., Angerbjörn, A. & Lidén, K. 2016. Multiple prehistoric

introductions of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) on a remote island,

as revealed by ancient DNA. Journal of Biogeography 43:1786-1796.

[5] Dury, J.R., Eriksson, G., Fjellström, M., Wallerström, T., & Lidén, K: 2018.

Consideration of freshwater and multiple marine reservoir effects: dating

of individuals with mixed diets from northern Sweden. Radiocarbon

60(5):1561-1585.

[6] Glykou, A., Eriksson, G., Storå, J., Schmitt, M., Koojiman, E., & Lidén, K. 2018.

Intra‐ and inter‐ tooth variation in strontium isotope ratios from

prehistoric seals by laser ablation multi‐ collector inductively coupled

plasma mass spectrometry. Rapid Communications in Mass

Spectrometry 32:1215–1224.

[7] Pokutta, D. A., Borodovskiy, A. P., Oleszczak, L., Tóth, P., & Lidén, K. 2019

Mobility of nomads in Central Asia: Chronology and 87Sr/86Sr isotope

evidence from the Pazyryk barrows of Northern Altai, Russia Journal of

Archaeological Science: Reports 27:101897.

[8] Glykou, A., Lõugas, L., Piličiauskienė, G., Schmölcke, U., Eriksson, G., Lidén, K.

2021. Reconstructing the ecological history of the extinct harp seal

population of the Baltic Sea. Quaternary Science Reviews 251:106701.

[9] Fjellström, M., Lindgren, Å., Lopez-Costas, O., Eriksson, G., Lidén, K. 2021. Food,

mobility, and health in a 17th and 18th Century arctic mining population

in Silbojokk, Swedish Sápmi. Arctic 74(2):113-238.

[10] Ahlgren, H., Bro-Jørgensen, M.H., Glykou, A., Schmölcke, U., Angerbjörn, A.,

Olsen, M.T., Lidén, K. 2022 (in press). The Baltic grey seal: A 9000-

year history of presence and absence. The Holocene. DOI:

10.1177/0959683622108076

Research projects

Ongoing

Completed

GLAS – Glacial Archaeology in Sápmi

Archaeological surveys of melting glaciers and snow patches in Swedish Sápmi. A four year program, financed by Stifteslen Marcus och Amalia Wallenbergs minnesfond

Environmental research in the Human Sciences area

The aim of this new initiative is to develop a strong collaborative network on environmental issues between the three faculties which make up the Human Sciences Area at Stockholm University: Humanities, Law and Social Sciences.