David Max Findley

Postdoctoral Researcher
Department of Archaeology
PANTROPOCENE Research Group
+49 3641 686-677
011

Main Focus

I am currently a post-doctoral researcher associated with the PANTROPOCENE project organized by Dr. Patrick Roberts. My past research concerned natural hazards in the Philippine islands during the early Spanish colonial period (ca. 1640-1760). My present research involves the integration of historical research and archival sources into land-use models developed by archaeologists so these models may be applied to the Philippine Islands throughout the Spanish colonial period (1565-1898). My research interests include the environmental history of the Philippines and Micronesia, the history of quantification and measurement, and the history of ideas and science—especially conceptions of natural hazards and the disasters they generate. 


Curriculum Vitae

I obtained a B.S. with Honors in Chemistry and High Honors in History from Haverford College (2015), where my final year research involved decay pathways of DDT measured with stable isotopes and how American researchers conceptualized atolls from 1946 until 1967. After a year as a laboratory technician in geochemistry, I enrolled as a doctoral candidate in History at Murdoch University (2016-2020) where I successfully submitted my dissertation: “Rationalizing Disaster: Assessing the Physical, Economic, and Cultural Impact of Natural Hazards in Luzon, 1645-1754.” I currently perform research at the intersection between geochemistry, archaeology, and history, employing a multidisciplinary approach to model socio-ecological transitions in the Philippine archipelago over the previous five centuries.


Research Projects

- PANTROPOCENE


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