Jacobs, Zenobia

Overview

My background and training is in Archaeology and the Earth Sciences. Over the past two decades I have helped pioneer technical developments in the dating of single grains of sand buried at geological and archaeological sites. I apply these improved physics-based tools to glean new clues to the evolutionary history of Homo sapiens and their interactions with other human groups around the world.

I am currently an ARC Future Fellow and professor in the Centre for Archaeological Science and the School of Earth of Environmental Sciences, as well as a chief investigator in the newly launched ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH).

Top Publications

Year	Title
2017	Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years ago Published in Nature
2017	Neandertal and Denisovan DNA from Pleistocene sediments Published in Science
2017	Variability in quartz OSL signals caused by measurement uncertainties: Problems and solutions Published in Quaternary Geochronology
2016	The age of three Middle Palaeolithic sites: single-grain optically stimulated luminescence chronologies for Pech de l'Azé I, II and IV in France Published in Journal of Human Evolution
2016	Towards an accurate and precise chronology for the colonization of Australia: The example of Riwi, Kimberley, Western Australia Published in PLoS One
2015	Testing of a single grain OSL chronology across the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at Les Cottés (France) Published in Journal of Archaeological Science
2014	The chronostratigraphy of the Haua Fteah cave (Cyrenaica, northeast Libya) Published in Journal of Human Evolution
2008	Ages for the middle stone age of Southern Africa: implications for human behavior and dispersal Published in Science
2007	Advances in optically stimulated luminescence dating of individual grains of quartz from archaeological deposits Published in Evolutionary Anthropology

Research Areas

Research Overview

My greatest contribution to research is the development and use of individual grains of quartz as reliable ‘time capsules’ for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of archaeological and geological sediments.

From the start of my research career, I have recognised the enormous, but unfulfilled, potential of single-grain dating to create a finely-resolved timeline for the key turning points in human evolution and Earth history. I have since generated high-resolution chronologies for archaeological sites in Africa, revealing new dimensions in the early history of Homo sapiens. These include the oldest archaeological evidence for fully modern human cognition and behaviour, and novel insights into the timing and probable causes of stone-age innovations in Africa and dispersals of early modern humans into Asia and their ultimate landfall in Australia.

I have also made contributions to other current and long-standing debates in the life and Earth sciences, including reconstructions of past environments in Africa, the use of ancient high sea-levels as analogues for future trends, stone-age innovations by Neanderthals in Europe, and studies of the ecological footprint of the first humans to reach Australia and Madagascar.

I arrived at UOW in 2006 to undertake a research fellowship, and today has a well-established research profile and is a Thompson-Reuters Highly Cited researcher. I have a strong record of
attracting national research grants, including an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship in which I am interrogating the enigmatic Denisovans found in the Altai Mountains of Siberia. I have won a number of research awards over the years, including a l’Oreal For Women in Science fellowship, an ARC QEII research fellowship, the Sir Nicholas Shackleton
Medal from the International Union of Quaternary Research (INQUA), Scopus Young Researcher Award, and a Thomsen Reuters 2015 Citation Award.

Geographic Focus

Africa Continent
Australasia Transnational Region
Russian Federation Country
South Africa Country

Available for Collaborative Projects

Head Of

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating laboratory Director 2010 -
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences Head of School 2014 - 2016

Member Of

SMAH Faculty Research Committee 2012 -
Centre for Archaeological Science 2010 -
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences 2006 - 2018
GeoQuEST 2006 - 2010

Has Collaborator

benjamin_marwick Available as Research Supervisor
Cohen, Tim Dr
Fullagar, Richard L. Prof.
Goldberg, Paul Prof.
Hayes, Elspeth H. Person
Jones, Brian G. A/Prof
Lachlan, Terry J. Faculty Academic
Li, Bo Dr.
Mackay, Alex C. Dr.
Morley, Mike W. Faculty Academic
Murray-Wallace, Colin V. Prof
Prinsloo, Linda C. Faculty Academic
Roberts, Richard G. Distinguished Professor

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Year	Title
2020	A high-resolution late Quaternary depositional history and chronology for the southern portion of the Lake Mungo lunette, semi-arid Australia Published In Quaternary Science Reviews Volume 233 Altmetric
2020	Archaeological evidence for two separate dispersals of Neanderthals into southern Siberia Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume Online First Pages 1 - 7 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2020	Modelling heterogeneously bleached single-grain equivalent dose distributions: Implications for the reliability of burial dose determination Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 60 Altmetric
2020	Palaeochannels of Australia's Riverine Plain - Reconstructing past vegetation environments across the Late Pleistocene and Holocene Published In Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Volume 545 Altmetric
2020	Validation of the LnTn method for De determination in optical dating of K-feldspar and quartz Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 58 Altmetric
2019	Age estimates for hominin fossils and the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic at Denisova Cave Published In Nature Volume 565 Pages 640 - 644 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric
2019	FosSahul 2.0, an updated database for the Late Quaternary fossil records of Sahul Published In Scientific Data Volume 6 Pages 272-1 - 272-7 Altmetric
2019	Fresh clues to the life and times of the Denisovans, a little-known ancient group of humans Published In The Conversation Volume 31 Jan Pages 1 - 6
2019	Hafting of Middle Paleolithic tools in Latium (central Italy): New data from Fossellone and Sant’Agostino caves Published In PLoS One Volume 14 Pages e0213473-1 - e0213473-29 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric
2019	Hominin and animal activities in the microstratigraphic record from Denisova Cave (Altai Mountains, Russia) Published In Scientific Reports Volume 9 Pages 13785-1 - 13785-12 ISSN 2045-2322 Altmetric
2019	Migration of Pleistocene shorelines across the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain: Evidence from dated sub-bottom profiles and archaeological shellfish assemblages Published In Quaternary Science Reviews Altmetric
2019	Minimum founding populations for the first peopling of Sahul Published In Nature Ecology and Evolution Volume 3 Pages 1057 - 1063 Altmetric
2019	The chronological, sedimentary and environmental context for the archaeological deposits at Blombos Cave, South Africa Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Pages 105850-1 - 105850-22 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2019	Timing of archaic hominin occupation of Denisova Cave in southern Siberia Published In Nature Volume 565 Pages 594 - 599 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric
2018	Beta dose variability and its spatial contextualisation in samples used for optical dating: An empirical approach to examining beta microdosimetry Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 44 Pages 23 - 37 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2018	Depositional and sea-level history from MIS 6 (Termination II) to MIS 3 on the southern continental shelf of South Africa Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Volume 181 Pages 156 - 172 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2018	Humans thrived in South Africa through the Toba eruption about 74,000 years ago Published In Nature Volume 555 Pages 511 - 515 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric
2018	Optical dating of K-feldspar grains from Middle Pleistocene lacustrine sediment at Marathousa 1 (Greece) Published In Quaternary International Volume 497 Pages 170 - 177 ISSN 1040-6182 Altmetric
2018	Reply to comments on Clarkson et al. (2017) ‘Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years ago’ Published In Australian Archaeology Volume 84 Pages 84 - 89 ISSN 0312-2417 Altmetric
2018	Revisiting an arid LGM using fluvial archives: a luminescence chronology for palaeochannels of the Murrumbidgee River, south-eastern Australia Published In Journal of Quaternary Science Volume Online First Pages 1 - 17 ISSN 0267-8179 Altmetric
2018	Single-grain dating of potassium-rich feldspar grains: Towards a global standardised growth curve for the post-IR IRSL signal Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 45 Pages 23 - 36 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2018	Timelines for human evolution and dispersals Published In Elements (Ottawa): an international magazine of mineralogy, geochemistry, and petrology Volume 14 Pages 27 - 32 ISSN 1811-5209 Altmetric
2017	Buried tools and pigments tell a new history of humans in Australia for 65,000 years Published In The Conversation Volume 20 July Pages 1 - 8
2017	Here’s the three-pronged approach we’re using in our own research to tackle the reproducibility issue Published In The Conversation Volume 20 July Pages 1 - 5
2017	Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years ago Published In Nature Volume 547 Pages 306 - 310 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric
2017	Neandertal and Denisovan DNA from Pleistocene sediments Published In Science Volume 356 Pages 605 - 608 ISSN 0036-8075 Altmetric
2017	Single-grain OSL chronologies for the Still Bay and Howieson's Poort industries and the transition between them: Further analyses and statistical modelling Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 107 Pages 1 - 13 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2017	The chronostratigraphy of the Haua Fteah cave (Cyrenaica, northeast Libya) - Optical dating of early human occupation during Marine Isotope Stages 4, 5 and 6 Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 105 Pages 69 - 88 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2017	Variability in quartz OSL signals caused by measurement uncertainties: Problems and solutions Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 41 Pages 11 - 25 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2016	A comprehensive database of quality-rated fossil ages for Sahul's Quaternary vertebrates Published In Scientific Data Volume 3 Pages 160053-1 - 160053-7 Altmetric
2016	A late Quaternary vertebrate deposit in Kudjal Yolgah Cave, south-western Australia: refining regional late Pleistocene extinctions Published In Journal of Quaternary Science Volume 31 Pages 538 - 550 ISSN 0267-8179 Altmetric
2016	Climate change not to blame for late Quaternary megafauna extinctions in Australia Published In Nature Communications Volume 7 Pages 10511-1 - 10511-7 ISSN 2041-1723 Altmetric
2016	Investigation of the applicability of standardised growth curves for OSL dating of quartz from Haua Fteah cave, Libya Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 35 Pages 1 - 15 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2016	New morphostratigraphic and geochronologic datas on the MIS 5-c external coastal ridge of Rabat-Temara, Morocco Published In Geomorphologie: relief, processus, environnement Volume 22 Pages 253 - 264 ISSN 1266-5304 Altmetric
2016	The age of three Middle Palaeolithic sites: single-grain optically stimulated luminescence chronologies for Pech de l'Azé I, II and IV in France Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 95 Pages 80 - 103 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2016	Towards an accurate and precise chronology for the colonization of Australia: The example of Riwi, Kimberley, Western Australia Published In PLoS One Volume 11 Pages 0160123-1 - 0160123-25 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric
2016	Unexpected convergent evolution of nasal domes between Pleistocene bovids and cretaceous hadrosaur dinosaurs Published In Current Biology Volume 26 Pages 503 - 508 ISSN 0960-9822 Altmetric
2016	What caused extinction of the pleistocene megafauna of sahul? Published In Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Volume 283 Pages 20152399-1 - 20152399-8 ISSN 0962-8452 Altmetric
2015	An improved single grain OSL chronology for the sedimentary deposits from Diepkloof Rockshelter, Western Cape, South Africa Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 63 Pages 175 - 192 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2015	Construction of a 'global standardised growth curve' (gSGC) for infrared stimulated luminescence dating of K-feldspar Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 27 Pages 119 - 130 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2015	Criteria for assessing the quality of Middle Pleistocene to Holocene vertebrate fossil ages Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 30 Pages 69 - 79 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2015	Distal tephras of the eastern Lake Victoria basin, equatorial East Africa: correlations, chronology and a context for early modern humans Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Volume 122 Pages 89 - 111 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2015	Interpreting human behavior from depositional rates and combustion features through the study of sedimentary microfacies at site Pinnacle Point 5-6, South Africa Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 85 Pages 1 - 21 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2015	Optical dating and soil micromorphology at MacCauley's Beach, New South Wales, Australia Published In Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Volume 40 Pages 229 - 242 ISSN 0197-9337 Altmetric
2015	Optical dating in archaeology: thirty years in retrospect and grand challenges for the future Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 56 Pages 41 - 60 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2015	Pleistocene archaeology and chronology of putslaagte 8 (PL8) Rockshelter, Western Cape, South Africa Published In Journal of African Archaeology Volume 13 Pages 71 - 98 ISSN 1612-1651 Altmetric
2015	Potential of establishing a 'global standardised growth curve' (gSGC) for optical dating of quartz from sediments Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 27 Pages 94 - 104 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2015	Technical considerations and methodology for creating high-resolution, color-corrected, and georectified photomosaics of stratigraphic sections at archaeological sites Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 57 Pages 380 - 394 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2015	Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene archaeology and stratigraphy of the southern Nejd, Oman Published In Quaternary International Volume 382 Pages 250 - 263 ISSN 1040-6182 Altmetric
2015	Testing of a single grain OSL chronology across the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at Les Cottés (France) Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 54 Pages 110 - 122 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2015	The archaeology, chronology and stratigraphy of Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II): a site in northern Australia with early occupation Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 83 Pages 46 - 64 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2014	A single-aliquot luminescence dating procedure for K-feldspar based on the dose-dependent MET-pIRIR signal sensitivity Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 20 Pages 51 - 64 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2014	Assessing the time of final deposition of Youngest Toba Tuff deposits in the Middle Son Valley, northern India Published In Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Volume 399 Pages 127 - 139 ISSN 0031-0182 Altmetric
2014	Continuity of mammalian fauna over the last 200,000 y in the Indian subcontinent Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 111 Pages 5848 - 5853 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2014	Putslaagte 1 (PL1), the Doring River, and the later Middle Stone Age in southern Africa's Winter Rainfall Zone Published In Quaternary International Volume 350 Pages 43 - 58 ISSN 1040-6182 Altmetric
2014	Review and assessment of the potential of post-IR IRSL dating methods to circumvent the problem of anomalous fading in feldspar luminescence Published In Geochronometria: journal on methods and applications of absolute chronology Volume 41 Pages 178 - 201 ISSN 1733-8387 Altmetric
2014	Testing a model of alluvial deposition in the Middle Son Valley, Madhya Pradesh, India - IRSL dating of terraced alluvial sediments and implications for archaeological surveys and palaeoclimatic reconstructions Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Volume 89 Pages 56 - 69 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2014	The chronostratigraphy of the Haua Fteah cave (Cyrenaica, northeast Libya) Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 66 Pages 39 - 63 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2013	An improved OSL chronology for the Still Bay layers at Blombos Cave, South Africa: further tests of single-grain dating procedures and a re-evaluation of the timing of the Still Bay industry across southern Africa Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 40 Pages 579 - 594 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2013	Beyond the Levant: first evidence of a Pre-Pottery Neolithic incursion into the Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia Published In PLoS One Volume 8 Pages e68061-1 - e68061-20 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric
2013	Controls on the genesis, sedimentary architecture, and preservation potential of dryland alluvial successions in stable continental interiors: insights from the incising Modder River, South Africa Published In Journal of Sedimentary Research Volume 83 Pages 541 - 561 ISSN 1527-1404 Altmetric
2013	Extending the age limit of luminescence dating using the dose-dependent sensitivity of MET-pIRIR signals from K-feldspar Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 17 Pages 55 - 67 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2013	Neandertal toolmakers left a leatherworking legacy Published In The Conversation Volume 13 August Pages 1 - 4
2013	Neandertals made the first specialized bone tools in Europe Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 110 Pages 14186 - 14190 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2013	On the dose dependency of the bleachable and non-bleachable components of IRSL from K-feldspar: improved procedures for luminescence dating of Quaternary sediments Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 17 Pages 1 - 13 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2013	On the industrial attributions of the Aterian and Mousterian of the Maghreb Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 64 Pages 194 - 210 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2013	Paleoanthropologically significant South African sea caves dated to 1.1-1.0 million years using a combination of U-Pb, TT-OSL and palaeomagnetism Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Volume 65 Pages 39 - 52 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2013	Stone tools and foraging in northern Madagascar challenge Holocene extinction models Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 110 Pages 12583 - 12588 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2012	Afromontane foragers of the Late Pleistocene: site formation, chronology and occupational pulsing at Melikane Rockshelter, Lesotho Published In Quaternary International Volume 270 Pages 40 - 60 ISSN 1040-6182 Altmetric
2012	An early and enduring advanced technology originating 71,000 years ago in South Africa Published In Nature Volume 491 Pages 590 - 594 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric
2012	Johann Carl Vogel (7 September 1932-30 January 2012) Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 9 Pages 1 - 2 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2012	Late Quaternary mega-lakes fed by the northern and southern river systems of central Australia: Varying moisture sources and increased continental aridity Published In Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Volume 356-357 Pages 89 - 108 ISSN 0031-0182 Altmetric
2012	Luminescence characteristics and dose distributions for quartz and feldspar grains from Mumba rockshelter, Tanzania Published In Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences Volume 4 Pages 115 - 135 ISSN 1866-9557 Altmetric
2012	Melting ice sheets 400,000 yr ago raised sea level by 13 m: past analogue for future trends Published In Earth and Planetary Science Letters Volume 357-358 Pages 226 - 237 ISSN 0012-821X Altmetric
2012	Natural variations in the properties of TL and IRSL emissions from metamorphic and volcanic K-feldspars from East Africa: assessing their reliability for dating Published In Radiation Measurements Volume 47 Pages 659 - 664 ISSN 1350-4487 Altmetric
2012	New ages for middle and later Stone Age deposits at Mumba rockshelter, Tanzania: optically stimulated luminescence dating of quartz and feldspar grains Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 62 Pages 533 - 547 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2012	New excavations at the site of Contrebandiers Cave, Morocco Published In PaleoAnthropology Volume 2012 Pages 145 - 201 Altmetric
2012	Single-grain OSL chronologies for Middle Palaeolithic deposits at El Mnasra and El Harhoura 2, Morocco: Implications for Late Pleistocene human-environment interactions along the Atlantic coast of northwest Africa Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 62 Pages 377 - 394 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2012	Sources of overdispersion in a K-rich feldspar sample from north-central India: Insights from De, K content and IRSL age distributions for individual grains Published In Radiation Measurements Volume 47 Pages 696 - 702 ISSN 1350-4487 Altmetric
2011	A 100,000-year-old ochre-processing workshop at Blombos Cave, South Africa Published In Science Volume 334 Pages 219 - 222 ISSN 0036-8075 Altmetric
2011	Continental aridification and the vanishing of Australia's megalakes Published In Geology (Boulder) Volume 39 Pages 167 - 170 ISSN 0091-7613 Altmetric
2011	Development of the SAR TT-OSL procedure for dating Middle Pleistocene dune and shallow marine deposits along the southern Cape coast of South Africa Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 6 Pages 491 - 513 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2011	Environmental implications of micromammals accumulated close to the MIS 6 to MIS 5 transition at Pinnacle Point Cave 9 (Mossel Bay, Western Cape Province, South Africa) Published In Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Volume 302 Pages 213 - 229 ISSN 0031-0182 Altmetric
2011	Single-grain OSL dating at La Grotte des Contrebandiers ('Smugglers' Cave'), Morocco: improved age constraints for the Middle Paleolithic levels Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 38 Pages 3631 - 3643 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2011	The origin and development of the Nyl River floodplain wetland, Limpopo Province, South Africa: trunk-tributary river interactions in a dryland setting Published In South African Geographical Journal Volume 93 Pages 172 - 190 ISSN 0373-6245 Altmetric
2010	A high resolution and continuous isotopic speleothem record of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment from 90 to 53 ka from Pinnacle Point on the south coast of South Africa Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Volume 29 Pages 2131 - 2145 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2010	An OSL chronology for the sedimentary deposits from Pinnacle Point Cave 13B-A punctuated presence Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 59 Pages 289 - 305 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2010	New excavations of Middle Stone Age deposits at Apollo 11 Rockshelter, Namibia: stratigraphy, archaeology, chronology and past environments Published In Journal of African Archaeology Volume 8 Pages 185 - 218 ISSN 1612-1651 Altmetric
2010	Still Bay and serrated points from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 37 Pages 1773 - 1784 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2010	The last interglacial sea-level high stand on the southern Cape coastline of South Africa Published In Quaternary Research Volume 73 Pages 351 - 363 ISSN 0033-5894 Altmetric
2010	Timing and dynamics of Late Pleistocene mammal extinctions in southwestern Australia Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 107 Pages 22157 - 22162 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2009	Catalysts for stone age innovations: what might have triggered two short-lived bursts of technological and behavioral innovation in southern Africa during the middle stone age? Published In Communicative and Integrative Biology Volume 2 Pages 191 - 193 ISSN 1942-0889
2009	Fire as an engineering tool of early modern humans Published In Science Volume 325 Pages 859 - 862 ISSN 0036-8075 Altmetric
2009	Human history written in stone and blood Published In American Scientist: the Magazine of Sigma XI, the Scientific Research Society Volume 97 Pages 302 - 309 ISSN 0003-0996 Altmetric
2009	Kam di KULTUR aus AFRIKA? Published In Spektrum Der Wissenschaft Volume December Pages 66 - 73
2009	Last interglacial age for aeolian and marine deposits and the Nahoon fossil human footprints, Southeast Coast of South Africa Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 4 Pages 160 - 169 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2009	Were environmental or demographic factors the driving force behind Middle Stone Age innovations in southern Africa? Published In South African Journal of Science Volume 105 Pages 333 - 334 ISSN 0038-2353
2008	A re-examination of a human femur found at the Blind River Site, East London, South Africa: Its age, morphology, and breakage pattern Published In Anthropological Review Volume 71 Pages 43 - 61 ISSN 1898-6773 Altmetric
2008	Ages for the middle stone age of Southern Africa: implications for human behavior and dispersal Published In Science Volume 322 Pages 733 - 735 ISSN 0036-8075 Altmetric
2008	Equivalent dose distributions from single grains of quartz at Sibudu, South Africa: context, causes and consequences for optical dating of archaeological deposits Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 35 Pages 1808 - 1820 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2008	Late-surviving megafauna in Tasmania, Australia, implicate human involvement in their extinction Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 105 Pages 12150 - 12153 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2008	Luminescence chronologies for coastal and marine sediments Published In Boreas: an international journal of quaternary research Volume 37 Pages 508 - 535 ISSN 0300-9483 Altmetric
2008	New ages for the post-Howiesons Poort, late and final Middle Stone Age at Sibudu, South Africa Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 35 Pages 1790 - 1807 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2008	Testing Times: old and new chronologies for the Howieson's poort and still bay industries in environmental context Published In South African Archaeological Society Goodwin Series Volume 10 Pages 9 - 34
2008	The Cyrenaican Prehistory Project 2008: the second season of investigations of the Haua Fteah cave and its landscape, and further results from the initial (2007) fieldwork Published In Libyan Studies Volume 39 Pages 175 - 221 ISSN 0263-7189
2008	The Lost Giants of Tasmania Published In Australasian Science Volume October Pages 14 - 17
2008	The Roots of Human Behaviour Published In Australasian Science Pages 16 - 18
2007	Advances in optically stimulated luminescence dating of individual grains of quartz from archaeological deposits Published In Evolutionary Anthropology Volume 16 Pages 210 - 223 ISSN 1060-1538 Altmetric
2007	Early human use of marine resources and pigment in South Africa during the Middle Pleistocene Published In Nature Volume 449 Pages 905 - 908 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric

Investigator On

Year	Title
2017 - 2024	ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Centres of Excellence
2016 - 2020	Denisovans, Neanderthals and modern humans in southern Russia Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Future Fellowships
2018 - 2019	A national facility for the analysis of pyrogenic carbon Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities (LIEF)
2015	Landscape archaeology at Lake Mungo Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects
2010	A tale of two species: constructing chronologies for patterns of change in the behaviour of Neanderthals and early modern humans Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects
2009	The first Australians: new chronologies for the peopling of the continent Awarded by: L'Oreal Australia Funding Scheme: Fellowship
2009	The future of palaeoclimate and archaeological research in Australia: next generation instrumentation for chronology and environmental reconstruction Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities (LIEF)
2008	A stable-isotope mass spectrometer for novel determinations of past temperature Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities (LIEF)

Teaching Activities

ARCH302 - Digging Down Under: The Archaeology of Australasia Subject coordinator and lecturer 2019 -
EESC309 Dung, Death and Decay: Modern scientific methods in archaeology Subject coordinator 2015 - 2017

Advisees

Graduate Advising Relationship

Degree	Research Title	Advisee
Doctor of Philosophy	Out in the open: an alternative approach to investigating South Africa Middle Stone Age archaeology	Phillips, Natasha
Doctor of Philosophy	Optical Dating of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic Deposits in the Altai, Siberia	O'Gorman, Kieran
Doctor of Philosophy	Constructing an Optically Stimulated Luminescence Chronology for Pondoland, South Africa: The Relationship between Modern Human Evolution and Coastal Foraging	Saktura, Rosaria
Doctor of Philosophy	Dating the Southern Dispersal Terminus: Anatomically Modern Human Migrations Through the Banda Island Arc to Northwest Australia	Norman, Kasih
Master of Research -SMAH	To be advised.	Skepasianos, Antonella

Education And Training

Ph.D., University of Aberystwyth 2000 - 2004
B.A. in Archaeology and Geography, University of Stellenbosch 1996 - 1998

Awards And Honors

Thomsen-Reuters (Australia) Citation Award (Arts and Humanities), 2015
Scopus (Australia) Young Researcher Award, 2013
l'Oreal Australia For Women in Science Fellowship, 2009
Sir Nick Shackleton medal, conferred by INQUA, 2009
Vice Chancellor's Research Excellence Award for Emerging Researchers, conferred by Vice Chancellor University of Wollongong, 2008
Most promising young researcher award, conferred by Environmentek, Council for Science and Industrial Research, South Africa, 2004
ARC Future Fellowship, 2016 - 2020
Highly Cited Researcher, conferred by Clarivate, 2017 - 2018
Thomsen-Reuters Highly Cited Researcher, 2014 - 2016
ARC QEII fellowship, 2010 - 2014

Keywords

Middle Stone Age archaeology
geochronology
human-environment interactions
luminescence dating

Full Name

Zenobia Jacobs

Mailing Address

Northfields Venue

Wollongong

New South Wales

2522

Australia

Geographic Location

University of Wollongong

Located In Facility

Orcid Id

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5424-5837 (confirmed)

Scopus Id

23392343600

Top Publications

Year	Title
2017	Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years ago Published in Nature
2017	Neandertal and Denisovan DNA from Pleistocene sediments Published in Science
2017	Variability in quartz OSL signals caused by measurement uncertainties: Problems and solutions Published in Quaternary Geochronology
2016	The age of three Middle Palaeolithic sites: single-grain optically stimulated luminescence chronologies for Pech de l'Azé I, II and IV in France Published in Journal of Human Evolution
2016	Towards an accurate and precise chronology for the colonization of Australia: The example of Riwi, Kimberley, Western Australia Published in PLoS One
2015	Testing of a single grain OSL chronology across the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at Les Cottés (France) Published in Journal of Archaeological Science
2014	The chronostratigraphy of the Haua Fteah cave (Cyrenaica, northeast Libya) Published in Journal of Human Evolution
2008	Ages for the middle stone age of Southern Africa: implications for human behavior and dispersal Published in Science
2007	Advances in optically stimulated luminescence dating of individual grains of quartz from archaeological deposits Published in Evolutionary Anthropology

Research Areas

Research Overview

My greatest contribution to research is the development and use of individual grains of quartz as reliable ‘time capsules’ for optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of archaeological and geological sediments.

From the start of my research career, I have recognised the enormous, but unfulfilled, potential of single-grain dating to create a finely-resolved timeline for the key turning points in human evolution and Earth history. I have since generated high-resolution chronologies for archaeological sites in Africa, revealing new dimensions in the early history of Homo sapiens. These include the oldest archaeological evidence for fully modern human cognition and behaviour, and novel insights into the timing and probable causes of stone-age innovations in Africa and dispersals of early modern humans into Asia and their ultimate landfall in Australia.

I have also made contributions to other current and long-standing debates in the life and Earth sciences, including reconstructions of past environments in Africa, the use of ancient high sea-levels as analogues for future trends, stone-age innovations by Neanderthals in Europe, and studies of the ecological footprint of the first humans to reach Australia and Madagascar.

I arrived at UOW in 2006 to undertake a research fellowship, and today has a well-established research profile and is a Thompson-Reuters Highly Cited researcher. I have a strong record of
attracting national research grants, including an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship in which I am interrogating the enigmatic Denisovans found in the Altai Mountains of Siberia. I have won a number of research awards over the years, including a l’Oreal For Women in Science fellowship, an ARC QEII research fellowship, the Sir Nicholas Shackleton
Medal from the International Union of Quaternary Research (INQUA), Scopus Young Researcher Award, and a Thomsen Reuters 2015 Citation Award.

Geographic Focus

Africa Continent
Australasia Transnational Region
Russian Federation Country
South Africa Country

Head Of

Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating laboratory Director 2010 -
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences Head of School 2014 - 2016

Member Of

SMAH Faculty Research Committee 2012 -
Centre for Archaeological Science 2010 -
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences 2006 - 2018
GeoQuEST 2006 - 2010

Has Collaborator

benjamin_marwick Available as Research Supervisor
Cohen, Tim Dr
Fullagar, Richard L. Prof.
Goldberg, Paul Prof.
Hayes, Elspeth H. Person
Jones, Brian G. A/Prof
Lachlan, Terry J. Faculty Academic
Li, Bo Dr.
Mackay, Alex C. Dr.
Morley, Mike W. Faculty Academic
Murray-Wallace, Colin V. Prof
Prinsloo, Linda C. Faculty Academic
Roberts, Richard G. Distinguished Professor

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Year	Title
2020	A high-resolution late Quaternary depositional history and chronology for the southern portion of the Lake Mungo lunette, semi-arid Australia Published In Quaternary Science Reviews Volume 233 Altmetric
2020	Archaeological evidence for two separate dispersals of Neanderthals into southern Siberia Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume Online First Pages 1 - 7 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2020	Modelling heterogeneously bleached single-grain equivalent dose distributions: Implications for the reliability of burial dose determination Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 60 Altmetric
2020	Palaeochannels of Australia's Riverine Plain - Reconstructing past vegetation environments across the Late Pleistocene and Holocene Published In Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Volume 545 Altmetric
2020	Validation of the LnTn method for De determination in optical dating of K-feldspar and quartz Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 58 Altmetric
2019	Age estimates for hominin fossils and the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic at Denisova Cave Published In Nature Volume 565 Pages 640 - 644 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric
2019	FosSahul 2.0, an updated database for the Late Quaternary fossil records of Sahul Published In Scientific Data Volume 6 Pages 272-1 - 272-7 Altmetric
2019	Fresh clues to the life and times of the Denisovans, a little-known ancient group of humans Published In The Conversation Volume 31 Jan Pages 1 - 6
2019	Hafting of Middle Paleolithic tools in Latium (central Italy): New data from Fossellone and Sant’Agostino caves Published In PLoS One Volume 14 Pages e0213473-1 - e0213473-29 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric
2019	Hominin and animal activities in the microstratigraphic record from Denisova Cave (Altai Mountains, Russia) Published In Scientific Reports Volume 9 Pages 13785-1 - 13785-12 ISSN 2045-2322 Altmetric
2019	Migration of Pleistocene shorelines across the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain: Evidence from dated sub-bottom profiles and archaeological shellfish assemblages Published In Quaternary Science Reviews Altmetric
2019	Minimum founding populations for the first peopling of Sahul Published In Nature Ecology and Evolution Volume 3 Pages 1057 - 1063 Altmetric
2019	The chronological, sedimentary and environmental context for the archaeological deposits at Blombos Cave, South Africa Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Pages 105850-1 - 105850-22 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2019	Timing of archaic hominin occupation of Denisova Cave in southern Siberia Published In Nature Volume 565 Pages 594 - 599 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric
2018	Beta dose variability and its spatial contextualisation in samples used for optical dating: An empirical approach to examining beta microdosimetry Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 44 Pages 23 - 37 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2018	Depositional and sea-level history from MIS 6 (Termination II) to MIS 3 on the southern continental shelf of South Africa Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Volume 181 Pages 156 - 172 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2018	Humans thrived in South Africa through the Toba eruption about 74,000 years ago Published In Nature Volume 555 Pages 511 - 515 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric
2018	Optical dating of K-feldspar grains from Middle Pleistocene lacustrine sediment at Marathousa 1 (Greece) Published In Quaternary International Volume 497 Pages 170 - 177 ISSN 1040-6182 Altmetric
2018	Reply to comments on Clarkson et al. (2017) ‘Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years ago’ Published In Australian Archaeology Volume 84 Pages 84 - 89 ISSN 0312-2417 Altmetric
2018	Revisiting an arid LGM using fluvial archives: a luminescence chronology for palaeochannels of the Murrumbidgee River, south-eastern Australia Published In Journal of Quaternary Science Volume Online First Pages 1 - 17 ISSN 0267-8179 Altmetric
2018	Single-grain dating of potassium-rich feldspar grains: Towards a global standardised growth curve for the post-IR IRSL signal Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 45 Pages 23 - 36 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2018	Timelines for human evolution and dispersals Published In Elements (Ottawa): an international magazine of mineralogy, geochemistry, and petrology Volume 14 Pages 27 - 32 ISSN 1811-5209 Altmetric
2017	Buried tools and pigments tell a new history of humans in Australia for 65,000 years Published In The Conversation Volume 20 July Pages 1 - 8
2017	Here’s the three-pronged approach we’re using in our own research to tackle the reproducibility issue Published In The Conversation Volume 20 July Pages 1 - 5
2017	Human occupation of northern Australia by 65,000 years ago Published In Nature Volume 547 Pages 306 - 310 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric
2017	Neandertal and Denisovan DNA from Pleistocene sediments Published In Science Volume 356 Pages 605 - 608 ISSN 0036-8075 Altmetric
2017	Single-grain OSL chronologies for the Still Bay and Howieson's Poort industries and the transition between them: Further analyses and statistical modelling Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 107 Pages 1 - 13 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2017	The chronostratigraphy of the Haua Fteah cave (Cyrenaica, northeast Libya) - Optical dating of early human occupation during Marine Isotope Stages 4, 5 and 6 Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 105 Pages 69 - 88 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2017	Variability in quartz OSL signals caused by measurement uncertainties: Problems and solutions Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 41 Pages 11 - 25 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2016	A comprehensive database of quality-rated fossil ages for Sahul's Quaternary vertebrates Published In Scientific Data Volume 3 Pages 160053-1 - 160053-7 Altmetric
2016	A late Quaternary vertebrate deposit in Kudjal Yolgah Cave, south-western Australia: refining regional late Pleistocene extinctions Published In Journal of Quaternary Science Volume 31 Pages 538 - 550 ISSN 0267-8179 Altmetric
2016	Climate change not to blame for late Quaternary megafauna extinctions in Australia Published In Nature Communications Volume 7 Pages 10511-1 - 10511-7 ISSN 2041-1723 Altmetric
2016	Investigation of the applicability of standardised growth curves for OSL dating of quartz from Haua Fteah cave, Libya Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 35 Pages 1 - 15 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2016	New morphostratigraphic and geochronologic datas on the MIS 5-c external coastal ridge of Rabat-Temara, Morocco Published In Geomorphologie: relief, processus, environnement Volume 22 Pages 253 - 264 ISSN 1266-5304 Altmetric
2016	The age of three Middle Palaeolithic sites: single-grain optically stimulated luminescence chronologies for Pech de l'Azé I, II and IV in France Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 95 Pages 80 - 103 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2016	Towards an accurate and precise chronology for the colonization of Australia: The example of Riwi, Kimberley, Western Australia Published In PLoS One Volume 11 Pages 0160123-1 - 0160123-25 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric
2016	Unexpected convergent evolution of nasal domes between Pleistocene bovids and cretaceous hadrosaur dinosaurs Published In Current Biology Volume 26 Pages 503 - 508 ISSN 0960-9822 Altmetric
2016	What caused extinction of the pleistocene megafauna of sahul? Published In Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Volume 283 Pages 20152399-1 - 20152399-8 ISSN 0962-8452 Altmetric
2015	An improved single grain OSL chronology for the sedimentary deposits from Diepkloof Rockshelter, Western Cape, South Africa Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 63 Pages 175 - 192 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2015	Construction of a 'global standardised growth curve' (gSGC) for infrared stimulated luminescence dating of K-feldspar Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 27 Pages 119 - 130 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2015	Criteria for assessing the quality of Middle Pleistocene to Holocene vertebrate fossil ages Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 30 Pages 69 - 79 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2015	Distal tephras of the eastern Lake Victoria basin, equatorial East Africa: correlations, chronology and a context for early modern humans Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Volume 122 Pages 89 - 111 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2015	Interpreting human behavior from depositional rates and combustion features through the study of sedimentary microfacies at site Pinnacle Point 5-6, South Africa Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 85 Pages 1 - 21 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2015	Optical dating and soil micromorphology at MacCauley's Beach, New South Wales, Australia Published In Earth Surface Processes and Landforms Volume 40 Pages 229 - 242 ISSN 0197-9337 Altmetric
2015	Optical dating in archaeology: thirty years in retrospect and grand challenges for the future Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 56 Pages 41 - 60 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2015	Pleistocene archaeology and chronology of putslaagte 8 (PL8) Rockshelter, Western Cape, South Africa Published In Journal of African Archaeology Volume 13 Pages 71 - 98 ISSN 1612-1651 Altmetric
2015	Potential of establishing a 'global standardised growth curve' (gSGC) for optical dating of quartz from sediments Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 27 Pages 94 - 104 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2015	Technical considerations and methodology for creating high-resolution, color-corrected, and georectified photomosaics of stratigraphic sections at archaeological sites Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 57 Pages 380 - 394 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2015	Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene archaeology and stratigraphy of the southern Nejd, Oman Published In Quaternary International Volume 382 Pages 250 - 263 ISSN 1040-6182 Altmetric
2015	Testing of a single grain OSL chronology across the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition at Les Cottés (France) Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 54 Pages 110 - 122 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2015	The archaeology, chronology and stratigraphy of Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II): a site in northern Australia with early occupation Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 83 Pages 46 - 64 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2014	A single-aliquot luminescence dating procedure for K-feldspar based on the dose-dependent MET-pIRIR signal sensitivity Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 20 Pages 51 - 64 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2014	Assessing the time of final deposition of Youngest Toba Tuff deposits in the Middle Son Valley, northern India Published In Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Volume 399 Pages 127 - 139 ISSN 0031-0182 Altmetric
2014	Continuity of mammalian fauna over the last 200,000 y in the Indian subcontinent Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 111 Pages 5848 - 5853 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2014	Putslaagte 1 (PL1), the Doring River, and the later Middle Stone Age in southern Africa's Winter Rainfall Zone Published In Quaternary International Volume 350 Pages 43 - 58 ISSN 1040-6182 Altmetric
2014	Review and assessment of the potential of post-IR IRSL dating methods to circumvent the problem of anomalous fading in feldspar luminescence Published In Geochronometria: journal on methods and applications of absolute chronology Volume 41 Pages 178 - 201 ISSN 1733-8387 Altmetric
2014	Testing a model of alluvial deposition in the Middle Son Valley, Madhya Pradesh, India - IRSL dating of terraced alluvial sediments and implications for archaeological surveys and palaeoclimatic reconstructions Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Volume 89 Pages 56 - 69 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2014	The chronostratigraphy of the Haua Fteah cave (Cyrenaica, northeast Libya) Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 66 Pages 39 - 63 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2013	An improved OSL chronology for the Still Bay layers at Blombos Cave, South Africa: further tests of single-grain dating procedures and a re-evaluation of the timing of the Still Bay industry across southern Africa Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 40 Pages 579 - 594 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2013	Beyond the Levant: first evidence of a Pre-Pottery Neolithic incursion into the Nefud Desert, Saudi Arabia Published In PLoS One Volume 8 Pages e68061-1 - e68061-20 ISSN 1932-6203 Altmetric
2013	Controls on the genesis, sedimentary architecture, and preservation potential of dryland alluvial successions in stable continental interiors: insights from the incising Modder River, South Africa Published In Journal of Sedimentary Research Volume 83 Pages 541 - 561 ISSN 1527-1404 Altmetric
2013	Extending the age limit of luminescence dating using the dose-dependent sensitivity of MET-pIRIR signals from K-feldspar Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 17 Pages 55 - 67 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2013	Neandertal toolmakers left a leatherworking legacy Published In The Conversation Volume 13 August Pages 1 - 4
2013	Neandertals made the first specialized bone tools in Europe Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 110 Pages 14186 - 14190 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2013	On the dose dependency of the bleachable and non-bleachable components of IRSL from K-feldspar: improved procedures for luminescence dating of Quaternary sediments Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 17 Pages 1 - 13 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2013	On the industrial attributions of the Aterian and Mousterian of the Maghreb Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 64 Pages 194 - 210 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2013	Paleoanthropologically significant South African sea caves dated to 1.1-1.0 million years using a combination of U-Pb, TT-OSL and palaeomagnetism Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Volume 65 Pages 39 - 52 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2013	Stone tools and foraging in northern Madagascar challenge Holocene extinction models Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 110 Pages 12583 - 12588 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2012	Afromontane foragers of the Late Pleistocene: site formation, chronology and occupational pulsing at Melikane Rockshelter, Lesotho Published In Quaternary International Volume 270 Pages 40 - 60 ISSN 1040-6182 Altmetric
2012	An early and enduring advanced technology originating 71,000 years ago in South Africa Published In Nature Volume 491 Pages 590 - 594 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric
2012	Johann Carl Vogel (7 September 1932-30 January 2012) Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 9 Pages 1 - 2 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2012	Late Quaternary mega-lakes fed by the northern and southern river systems of central Australia: Varying moisture sources and increased continental aridity Published In Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Volume 356-357 Pages 89 - 108 ISSN 0031-0182 Altmetric
2012	Luminescence characteristics and dose distributions for quartz and feldspar grains from Mumba rockshelter, Tanzania Published In Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences Volume 4 Pages 115 - 135 ISSN 1866-9557 Altmetric
2012	Melting ice sheets 400,000 yr ago raised sea level by 13 m: past analogue for future trends Published In Earth and Planetary Science Letters Volume 357-358 Pages 226 - 237 ISSN 0012-821X Altmetric
2012	Natural variations in the properties of TL and IRSL emissions from metamorphic and volcanic K-feldspars from East Africa: assessing their reliability for dating Published In Radiation Measurements Volume 47 Pages 659 - 664 ISSN 1350-4487 Altmetric
2012	New ages for middle and later Stone Age deposits at Mumba rockshelter, Tanzania: optically stimulated luminescence dating of quartz and feldspar grains Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 62 Pages 533 - 547 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2012	New excavations at the site of Contrebandiers Cave, Morocco Published In PaleoAnthropology Volume 2012 Pages 145 - 201 Altmetric
2012	Single-grain OSL chronologies for Middle Palaeolithic deposits at El Mnasra and El Harhoura 2, Morocco: Implications for Late Pleistocene human-environment interactions along the Atlantic coast of northwest Africa Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 62 Pages 377 - 394 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2012	Sources of overdispersion in a K-rich feldspar sample from north-central India: Insights from De, K content and IRSL age distributions for individual grains Published In Radiation Measurements Volume 47 Pages 696 - 702 ISSN 1350-4487 Altmetric
2011	A 100,000-year-old ochre-processing workshop at Blombos Cave, South Africa Published In Science Volume 334 Pages 219 - 222 ISSN 0036-8075 Altmetric
2011	Continental aridification and the vanishing of Australia's megalakes Published In Geology (Boulder) Volume 39 Pages 167 - 170 ISSN 0091-7613 Altmetric
2011	Development of the SAR TT-OSL procedure for dating Middle Pleistocene dune and shallow marine deposits along the southern Cape coast of South Africa Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 6 Pages 491 - 513 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2011	Environmental implications of micromammals accumulated close to the MIS 6 to MIS 5 transition at Pinnacle Point Cave 9 (Mossel Bay, Western Cape Province, South Africa) Published In Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology Volume 302 Pages 213 - 229 ISSN 0031-0182 Altmetric
2011	Single-grain OSL dating at La Grotte des Contrebandiers ('Smugglers' Cave'), Morocco: improved age constraints for the Middle Paleolithic levels Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 38 Pages 3631 - 3643 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2011	The origin and development of the Nyl River floodplain wetland, Limpopo Province, South Africa: trunk-tributary river interactions in a dryland setting Published In South African Geographical Journal Volume 93 Pages 172 - 190 ISSN 0373-6245 Altmetric
2010	A high resolution and continuous isotopic speleothem record of paleoclimate and paleoenvironment from 90 to 53 ka from Pinnacle Point on the south coast of South Africa Published In Quaternary Science Reviews: the international multidisciplinary research and review journal Volume 29 Pages 2131 - 2145 ISSN 0277-3791 Altmetric
2010	An OSL chronology for the sedimentary deposits from Pinnacle Point Cave 13B-A punctuated presence Published In Journal of Human Evolution Volume 59 Pages 289 - 305 ISSN 0047-2484 Altmetric
2010	New excavations of Middle Stone Age deposits at Apollo 11 Rockshelter, Namibia: stratigraphy, archaeology, chronology and past environments Published In Journal of African Archaeology Volume 8 Pages 185 - 218 ISSN 1612-1651 Altmetric
2010	Still Bay and serrated points from Umhlatuzana Rock Shelter, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 37 Pages 1773 - 1784 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2010	The last interglacial sea-level high stand on the southern Cape coastline of South Africa Published In Quaternary Research Volume 73 Pages 351 - 363 ISSN 0033-5894 Altmetric
2010	Timing and dynamics of Late Pleistocene mammal extinctions in southwestern Australia Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 107 Pages 22157 - 22162 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2009	Catalysts for stone age innovations: what might have triggered two short-lived bursts of technological and behavioral innovation in southern Africa during the middle stone age? Published In Communicative and Integrative Biology Volume 2 Pages 191 - 193 ISSN 1942-0889
2009	Fire as an engineering tool of early modern humans Published In Science Volume 325 Pages 859 - 862 ISSN 0036-8075 Altmetric
2009	Human history written in stone and blood Published In American Scientist: the Magazine of Sigma XI, the Scientific Research Society Volume 97 Pages 302 - 309 ISSN 0003-0996 Altmetric
2009	Kam di KULTUR aus AFRIKA? Published In Spektrum Der Wissenschaft Volume December Pages 66 - 73
2009	Last interglacial age for aeolian and marine deposits and the Nahoon fossil human footprints, Southeast Coast of South Africa Published In Quaternary Geochronology Volume 4 Pages 160 - 169 ISSN 1871-1014 Altmetric
2009	Were environmental or demographic factors the driving force behind Middle Stone Age innovations in southern Africa? Published In South African Journal of Science Volume 105 Pages 333 - 334 ISSN 0038-2353
2008	A re-examination of a human femur found at the Blind River Site, East London, South Africa: Its age, morphology, and breakage pattern Published In Anthropological Review Volume 71 Pages 43 - 61 ISSN 1898-6773 Altmetric
2008	Ages for the middle stone age of Southern Africa: implications for human behavior and dispersal Published In Science Volume 322 Pages 733 - 735 ISSN 0036-8075 Altmetric
2008	Equivalent dose distributions from single grains of quartz at Sibudu, South Africa: context, causes and consequences for optical dating of archaeological deposits Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 35 Pages 1808 - 1820 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2008	Late-surviving megafauna in Tasmania, Australia, implicate human involvement in their extinction Published In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of USA Volume 105 Pages 12150 - 12153 ISSN 1091-6490 Altmetric
2008	Luminescence chronologies for coastal and marine sediments Published In Boreas: an international journal of quaternary research Volume 37 Pages 508 - 535 ISSN 0300-9483 Altmetric
2008	New ages for the post-Howiesons Poort, late and final Middle Stone Age at Sibudu, South Africa Published In Journal of Archaeological Science Volume 35 Pages 1790 - 1807 ISSN 0305-4403 Altmetric
2008	Testing Times: old and new chronologies for the Howieson's poort and still bay industries in environmental context Published In South African Archaeological Society Goodwin Series Volume 10 Pages 9 - 34
2008	The Cyrenaican Prehistory Project 2008: the second season of investigations of the Haua Fteah cave and its landscape, and further results from the initial (2007) fieldwork Published In Libyan Studies Volume 39 Pages 175 - 221 ISSN 0263-7189
2008	The Lost Giants of Tasmania Published In Australasian Science Volume October Pages 14 - 17
2008	The Roots of Human Behaviour Published In Australasian Science Pages 16 - 18
2007	Advances in optically stimulated luminescence dating of individual grains of quartz from archaeological deposits Published In Evolutionary Anthropology Volume 16 Pages 210 - 223 ISSN 1060-1538 Altmetric
2007	Early human use of marine resources and pigment in South Africa during the Middle Pleistocene Published In Nature Volume 449 Pages 905 - 908 ISSN 0028-0836 Altmetric

Investigator On

Year	Title
2017 - 2024	ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Centres of Excellence
2016 - 2020	Denisovans, Neanderthals and modern humans in southern Russia Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Future Fellowships
2018 - 2019	A national facility for the analysis of pyrogenic carbon Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities (LIEF)
2015	Landscape archaeology at Lake Mungo Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects
2010	A tale of two species: constructing chronologies for patterns of change in the behaviour of Neanderthals and early modern humans Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Discovery Projects
2009	The first Australians: new chronologies for the peopling of the continent Awarded by: L'Oreal Australia Funding Scheme: Fellowship
2009	The future of palaeoclimate and archaeological research in Australia: next generation instrumentation for chronology and environmental reconstruction Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities (LIEF)
2008	A stable-isotope mass spectrometer for novel determinations of past temperature Awarded by: Australian Research Council (ARC) Funding Scheme: Linkage Infrastructure Equipment & Facilities (LIEF)

Teaching Activities

ARCH302 - Digging Down Under: The Archaeology of Australasia Subject coordinator and lecturer 2019 -
EESC309 Dung, Death and Decay: Modern scientific methods in archaeology Subject coordinator 2015 - 2017

Advisees

Graduate Advising Relationship

Degree	Research Title	Advisee
Doctor of Philosophy	Out in the open: an alternative approach to investigating South Africa Middle Stone Age archaeology	Phillips, Natasha
Doctor of Philosophy	Optical Dating of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic Deposits in the Altai, Siberia	O'Gorman, Kieran
Doctor of Philosophy	Constructing an Optically Stimulated Luminescence Chronology for Pondoland, South Africa: The Relationship between Modern Human Evolution and Coastal Foraging	Saktura, Rosaria
Doctor of Philosophy	Dating the Southern Dispersal Terminus: Anatomically Modern Human Migrations Through the Banda Island Arc to Northwest Australia	Norman, Kasih
Master of Research -SMAH	To be advised.	Skepasianos, Antonella

Education And Training

Ph.D., University of Aberystwyth 2000 - 2004
B.A. in Archaeology and Geography, University of Stellenbosch 1996 - 1998

Awards And Honors

Thomsen-Reuters (Australia) Citation Award (Arts and Humanities), 2015
Scopus (Australia) Young Researcher Award, 2013
l'Oreal Australia For Women in Science Fellowship, 2009
Sir Nick Shackleton medal, conferred by INQUA, 2009
Vice Chancellor's Research Excellence Award for Emerging Researchers, conferred by Vice Chancellor University of Wollongong, 2008
Most promising young researcher award, conferred by Environmentek, Council for Science and Industrial Research, South Africa, 2004
ARC Future Fellowship, 2016 - 2020
Highly Cited Researcher, conferred by Clarivate, 2017 - 2018
Thomsen-Reuters Highly Cited Researcher, 2014 - 2016
ARC QEII fellowship, 2010 - 2014

Keywords

Middle Stone Age archaeology
geochronology
human-environment interactions
luminescence dating

Full Name

Zenobia Jacobs

Mailing Address

Northfields Venue

Wollongong

New South Wales

2522

Australia

Geographic Location

University of Wollongong

Located In Facility

Orcid Id

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5424-5837 (confirmed)

Scopus Id

23392343600

Overview

Overview

Top Publications

Research Areas

Research Overview

Geographic Focus

Affiliation

Available for Collaborative Projects

Head Of

Member Of

Has Collaborator

Publications

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Funding

Investigator On

Supervision

Teaching Activities

Advisees

Graduate Advising Relationship

Background

Education And Training

Awards And Honors

Keywords

Contact

Full Name

Mailing Address

Geographic Location

Located In Facility

Identity

Orcid Id

Scopus Id

Overview

Top Publications

Research Areas

Research Overview

Geographic Focus

Affiliation

Head Of

Member Of

Has Collaborator

Publications

Selected Publications

Journal Article

Funding

Investigator On

Supervision

Teaching Activities

Advisees

Graduate Advising Relationship

Background

Education And Training

Awards And Honors

Keywords

Contact

Full Name

Mailing Address

Geographic Location

Located In Facility

Identity

Orcid Id

Scopus Id

Visualisations

Research Areas

Geographic Focus