Jeffrey Painter

Ph.D. · Department of Anthropology · Michigan State University · painte15@msu.edu
USDA NRCS · New Hampshire · Archaeologist

My name is Jeffrey Painter and I am an archaeologist broadly interested in understanding how population dynamics, such as migration, structured the development of communities and larger social formations in the past. I received my Ph.D. from the Department of Anthropology at Michigan State University in May 2021. My current research focuses on foodways, particularly cooking, as a mechanism of integration among coalescent communities. Within this framework, I specialize in the analysis of ceramics, specifically the investigation of vessel function through use-alteration analysis. Aside from my research, I am dedicated to working with students and public outreach.


Experience

Graduate Research Assistant

MSU Archaeological Collections

MSU Museum and Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University

August 2019 - December 2020

Graduate Research Assistant

Morton Village Project Lab

Michigan State University

Eight semesters between 2014-2020

Natural Science Collections Summer Internship

Michigan State University Museum

Summer 2020

Archaeologist

Campus Archaeology Program

Michigan State University

Summers 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020

Instructor

Great Discoveries in Archaeology

Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University

Spring 2019

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University

Introduction to Archaeology, Introduction to Physical Anthropology, Time, Space, and Change in Human Society, Field Methods in Archaeology

2015-2019

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Morton Village Project Field School

Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University

Summer 2016

Research Assistant

Grand Island Archaeology Project Lab

Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Illinois State University

Fall 2013- Spring 2014

Project Staff

Grand Island Archaeology Project Field School

Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Illinois State University

Summer 2013

Education

Michigan State University

Ph.D. in Anthropology

Expected Graduation 2021

Illinois State University

M.S. in Archaeology

2014

Illinois State University

B.S. in Archaeology

2012

Publications

2019

Painter, Jeffrey M., and Jodie O'Gorman
Cooking and Community: An Exploration of Oneota Group Variability through Foodways. Midcontinental Journal of Archaeology 44(3):231-258.

2017

Goldstein, Lynne, with Lisa Bright and Jeffrey M. Painter
Sherds of Spartans Past: Ceramics from the Michigan State University Campus Archaeology Program. In Innovative Approaches and Explorations in Ceramic Studies, edited by Sandra L. López Varela, Pp. 107-117. Archaeopress, Inc., Oxford

In Review

Painter, Jeffrey M.
Cooking and Vessel Function in the Oneota Tradition: A Tremaine Complex Case Study. Submitted in May 2020 to The Wisconsin Archeologist.



Grants & Awards

  • 2019- Graduate Student Paper Competition Winner, Midwest Archaeological Conference
            Cooking up a Common Ground: Vessel use and Social Interaction at Morton Village
  • 2019- Lynne Goldstein Fellowship Award, Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University
  • 2018- Alumni and Friends Expendable Fund for Archaeology Award, Department of Anthropology, Michigan State University
  • 2017- Wisconsin Archaeological Society Research Award

Conference Presentations (last 5 years)

2021

Painter, Autumn M., with Jeffrey M. Painter, Jodie O'Gorman, and Terrence J. Martin
Surviving or Thriving?: Re-Assessing Warfare Related Food Insecurity at Morton Village. Paper to be presented at the 58th Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archaeology, April 14-18, San Francisco.

2019

Jeffrey M. Painter
Cooking Up a Common Ground: Vessel Use and Social Interactions at Morton Village. Paper presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Oct. 10-12, Mankato.

Painter, Autumn M. and Jeffrey M. Painter
Walk With Me: Reflections on almost a Lifetime with Dr. James Skibo. Paper presented at the 84th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, April 10-14, Albuquerque.

2018

Painter, Jeffrey M., with Autumn M. Painter, and Jack A. Biggs
Archaeology along the Banks of the Red Cedar: Summary of 2018 Riverbank Survey. Poster presented at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Oct. 4-6, Notre Dame.

2017

Painter, Autumn M., with Painter, Jeffrey M., and Susan M. Kooiman
Documenting Historic Foodways at Michigan State University. Paper presented at the 61st Annual Meeting of the Midwest Archaeological Conference, Oct. 19-21, Indianapolis.

Painter, Jeffrey M., and Jodie O'Gorman
Foodway Variability in the Oneota Tradition: A Pilot Study of Cooking Pots. Paper presented at the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, March 29- April 2, Vancouver.

Painter, Jeffrey M., and Autumn Beyer (Painter)
Rim Sherds and Bone Frags: Exloring Foodways at Morton Village. Paper presented at the 2nd Annual Department of Anthropology Graduate Student Research Symposium, January 27, East Lansing.

Fellowships

  • Spring 2021- Dissertation Completion Fellowship, Michigan State University
  • 2019-2020- Cultural Heritage Informatics Fellowship, Michigan State University
  • 2016-2019- Campus Archaeology Program Fellowship, Michigan State University
  • 2014-2018- Department of Anthropology Fellowship, Michigan State University

Outreach

Author of over 30 blog posts for the MSU Campus Archaeology Program, MSU Cultural Heritage Informatics Fellowship, and MSUToday.

Collaboratively organized and implemented over 20 public outreach events including Michigan Archaeology Day, MSU Science Fest, MSU Apparitions and Archaeology Haunted Tour, MSU Grandparents University, and several elementary school science night fairs.

Created two digital StoryMaps for the Campus Archaeology Program, which integrate archaeological, archival, and spatial data to tell narratives about the past (see a StoryMap about Faculty Row here)

Co-creator of Archaeology 101, an interactive educational website for elementary and middle school students (part of the MSU Cultural Heritage Informatics Fellowship)