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Social Sciences Division
Anthropology Department
Continuing Lecturer
Faculty
Archaeology
Anthropology
Death/Mortality Studies
Gender Studies
Latin American and Latino Studies
Social Sciences 1
409
Tuesday and Thursday 12-1pm
Social Sciences 1 Faculty Services
I am a bioarchaeologist and Continuing Lecturer in Anthropology at UC Santa Cruz. I study identity, gender, aging, and health in ancient Andean communities, integrating skeletal analysis with mortuary archaeology and textile studies. My research focuses on southern Peru, particularly the ways people’s social relationships and lived experiences shaped their treatment in death.
I earned my Ph.D. in Anthropology, specializing in bioarchaeology, from Arizona State University in 2019 under the direction of Jane E. Buikstra. I also earned an M.A. in Anthropology from Arizona State University in 2010 and bachelor’s degrees in Chemistry and History from North Carolina State University in 2008. I have taught at UC Santa Cruz since 2019.
Bioarchaeology; Andean archaeology; human skeletal biology; paleopathology; mortuary archaeology; gender and identity; aging and the life course; archaeological textiles.
My research examines how social identities and relationships shaped people’s lives and mortuary treatment in the ancient Andes. Working primarily with archaeological collections from southern Peru, I bring together skeletal evidence, burial contexts, and textiles to investigate gender, occupational and community identities, and aging across the life course.
My current projects examine gendered mortuary practices and textile imagery at Chiribaya Alta, the identification and social experiences of older adults, and mobility and community formation in the Moquegua Valley. I also investigate disease and care, including tuberculosis and the experiences of individuals living with serious illness.
Teaching Excellence Award, University of California, Santa Cruz, 2023.
2026 “Gender roles and identity at Chiribaya Alta, Peru: A multiple correspondence analysis of mortuary contexts” by Emily A. Schach and Jane E. Buikstra. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. Volume 83, September issue. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaa.2026.101795
2026 “Precipitation Variability, Fertility, and Metabolic Stress over 5 Millennia in the Ancient Andes: A Bioarchaeological Path Analysis” by Thomas J. Snyder, Mark N. Grote, and Emily A. Schach. Science Advances. Volume 12. Issue 18. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adz1998
2021 “Stable oxygen and radiogenic strontium variability in the Osmore Drainage, Peru: Implications for intra-regional Andean paleomobility studies” by Allisen C. Dahlstedt, Emily Schach, Sarah I. Baitzel, and Kelly J. Knudson. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. Volume 37:102933.
2021 Lost Tribes and Sunken Lands: A Study Guide by Donna Nash and Emily Schach. 4th Edition. Kendall Hunt Publishing, Dubuque, IA.
2020 “Drinking Locally: A Water 87Sr/86Sr Isoscape for Geolocation of Archeological Samples in the Peruvian Andes” by Beth K. Scaffidi, Tiffiny A. Tung, Gwyneth Gordon, Aleksa K. Alaica, Luis Manuel González La Rosa, Sara J. Marsteller, Allisen Dahlstedt, Emily Schach, and Kelly J. Knudson. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. Volume 8:281.
ANTH 1- Introduction to Biological Anthropology
ANTH 100- History and Theory of Biological Anthroplogy
ANTH 101- Human Evolution
ANTH 102A- Human Skeletal Biology
ANTH 103- Forensic Anthropology
ANTH 105- Human Paleopathology
ANTH 194A- Anthropology of Dead Persons
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