March 2023 | By Katelyn DiBenedetto
Tell us about your background
While I grew up in upstate NY, my favorite family vacations were always to the ocean. For years I wanted to be a marine biologist until I attempted chemistry in high school. I decided that I was better suited to the social sciences and focused on anthropology in my undergraduate and graduate studies.
I conducted my dissertation research on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus where I studied the Neolithic—one of the most transformational periods in human history when humans transitioned from hunting and gathering to the domestication of plants and animals. One cool thing about this time period is that people had to import some of the major domesticates (sheep, goat, cattle, pig) and wild deer to Cyprus. They obviously used some type of watercraft, but we have yet to recover physical evidence of this craft. I have always maintained a deep appreciation for humanity’s interaction with the sea. For this reason, I am beyond excited to use the skills I have honed over the last decade to help support a network of researchers that focus on nearshore coastal systems where biodiversity and people are concentrated and interact the most.
Katelyn and her Ph.D. advisor, Dr. Alan Simmons, hold recently excavated cattle bones. Cattle were introduced to the island during the Neolithic and then disappeared shortly thereafter for several thousand years. 
Archaeological excavations in process at the Cypro-Pre-Pottery Neolithic B site of Kretou Marottou Ais Giorkis, Cyprus (~7500-7800 BC).
What attracted you to MarineGEO?
The mission and focus on community and collaboration caught my interest. I am really grateful to have the opportunity to work alongside researchers from all over the world who are documenting biodiversity in nearshore coastal systems. To solve some of the most pressing problems related to our oceans, we need to work together rather than in silos. MarineGEO embodies this notion.
Tell us a little about your work with MarineGEO
I help manage the network, including communication strategies, budget, grant, and stakeholder management, and event and program creation and implementation. You will likely be seeing many emails from me in your inboxes. Please never hesitate to drop me a line if you have questions, concerns, or want to chat about a cool idea!
What do you do for fun?
I am a cat mom to two adorable monsters (named Albert and Gordon), an avid reader, and thoroughly enjoy being outside (which is likely what attracted me to archaeology in the first place). Outside of work hours, you can find me reading and listening to podcasts, hanging out with my cats, family, and friends, and exploring museums and the outdoors (although I have a terrible sense of direction).
Gordon and Albert who you might see on a video call.
Katelyn hiking in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.
What is your favorite marine creature?
Manatees. I just think they are adorable.