Meet Our New Wadsworth Fellows: Felix Kisena

I am originally from Makambako Township in the Njombe region of Southern Tanzania. My academic journey began with a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology from the University of Dar-es-Salaam in 2019, which laid the foundation for my passion for prehistoric archaeology. In 2020, I worked with the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya as a graduate laboratory intern, gaining hands-on experience in prehistoric sciences. In 2022, I graduated with a master’s in prehistoric archaeology from IPT-Tomar in Portugal. Subsequently, I completed six months of training in field archaeology at the Institute for Prehistoric Archaeology at the University of Cologne in Germany before beginning my doctoral studies at New York University in the fall of 2023.

My interests center on the archaeology of early human evolution, focusing on stone tool technology, use-wear analysis, and landscape archaeology. I am particularly interested in understanding early hominins’ adaptive dynamics and behavioral complexity during the Early Stone Age. My research is dedicated to advancing methodologies for stone tool use-wear formation and analysis, an area in which the Anthrotopography Laboratory at New York University (NYU) is leading innovations. The lab is currently developing an artificial intelligence-based use-wear identifier for stone tools, and my project builds upon this work by investigating the functions of the 1.8 mya chert assemblage from the Mary Nikole Korongo (MNK) and Henrietta Wilfrida Korongo (HWK) sites at Oldupai Gorge, Tanzania.

I have chosen to pursue my doctoral training at New York University due to its esteemed reputation, comprehensive curriculum, and the flexibility of training at most universities in New York City through the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium. I selected Dr. Iovita as my primary advisor due to his expertise in stone tool use-wear experiments, extensive collaborations, and the exceptional facilities available at NYU. My co-advisor, Dr. Pargeter, whose research focuses on African Paleosciences and stone tool technology, further motivated my decision to join NYU.

I am committed to advancing archaeological research in Tanzania and East Africa, particularly promoting technological innovations in artifact analysis. I aspire to contribute to preserving and interpreting African prehistoric heritage, ensuring that local researchers and institutions benefit from access to cutting-edge archaeological methodologies. By integrating traditional archaeological approaches with emerging technologies, I hope to broaden our understanding of early hominin behavior and adaptation while fostering international collaborations in African archaeology.