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Biography

Mélanie grew up in Central France and obtained a MSci in Chemistry from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie de Lille (ENSCL) at Lille I University. She completed her final-year research project with Dr Martine Regert at the Centre for Research and Restoration of Museums of France, where she developed a keen interest in applying analytical chemistry to investigate archaeological artefacts to reconstruct the activities of past human societies. 
 
Continuing to work at the interface of analytical chemistry and archaeology, Melanie then moved to the University of Bristol to join Professor Richard Evershed FRS at the Organic Geochemistry Unit as a PhD student. During this time, she investigated milk use in prehistoric Europe using the molecular and isotope signatures of lipids extracts from archaeological ceramics. She pursued this research as a post-doctoral research assistant in the same group, acquiring and compiling a database of thousands of chemical and isotope compositions of organic residues extracted from archaeological pottery. This research on ancient milk use provided a framework for the investigation of the evolution of lactase persistence. 
 
Mélanie then secured a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Fellowship in 2018 to lead on the development of deuterium isotopes in lipids to reconstruct well-dated terrestrial climate records at the archaeological site level. 

Mélanie secured a proleptic lectureship at the University of Bristol in 2022, and was promoted to Associate Professor in Environmental Chemistry in 2024. She has been the co-founder and chair of the Lipid Analysis for Archaeological Research Development (LAARD) community since 2024.

Being able to characterise compounds opens remarkable possibilities for understanding the world around us.

Mélanie Roffet-Salque

Q&A

Can you tell us more about your work?

I am an analytical chemist whose research addresses fundamental questions relating to human-environment interactions in the past, while also unravelling complex chemical pathways in modern systems. My work is inherently interdisciplinary, operating at the interface of archaeology, climate science, genetics, and veterinary science.
 
My most significant contributions to research have centred around using state-of-the-art analytical methods to generate high quality data using analytical rigour (analytical chemistry) to investigate biomolecules (particularly lipids) in archaeological and historic artefacts, and modern environments. 

Through rigorous analyses of molecular and isotope compositions of lipids preserved in archaeological and historic artefacts, my group explore the spatial and temporal trends in the use of natural resources in the past. For example, this research shed light into the early exploitation of bee products with implications for honeybee palaeoecology; early milk use links with the selection of the European lactase persistence allele; and the exploitation of aquatic resources by early farming communities in Europe. I promote minimally invasive methods, with her group developing a novel method to decrease sample size by 1000x, enabling the sampling of valuable archaeological pottery.
 
My interest in how environmental changes impacted on human livelihood led me to develop a novel proxy to investigate climate in the past. This work harnesses the hydrogen isotope signature of animal fats preserved in archaeological and historical contexts, such as pottery and manuscripts, to construct climate records at the very location where people lived. This research explores ancient climate and human responses to climate change, highlighting the resilience of ancient populations and their adaptations to a changing environment. In order to validate this novel approach, my group recognised the opportunity to exploit lipids from well-dated historic parchments (animal skins). By working with The National Archives, we devised a minimally invasive technique for the extraction of lipids within parchments ahead of isotope analysis for the construction of climate records. This research aims at building precipitation records from well-dated parchments to investigate regional climate fluctuations during historical periods. 
 
Underpinning these applications is a strong commitment to understanding the fundamental biochemical mechanisms that control isotopic signatures. My group conducts controlled sheep feeding experiments to trace hydrogen routing from feed and water into animal tissues, with the ultimate goal of developing quantitative, mechanistic models of hydrogen metabolism in ruminants. This fundamental work strengthens the interpretative power of isotopic proxies used across my research, but also provides metabolic insights of interest to ruminant dieticians.

Who or what first sparked your interest in chemistry, and how has that interest evolved over time? 

Discovering that chemistry could be applied to research into the human past was a revelation that has driven my research ambitions ever since. I have a deep interest in humans in the past and their relationships to the environment. This interest evolved from growing up in a rural French farming community where I saw at first-hand how long-lasting traditions adapted to changing technologies or climatic conditions.

What has been the most rewarding or memorable highlight of your career so far? 

Being able to see PhD students through to graduation. The journey can be challenging, and research is never straightforward, but seeing them proudly surrounded by their loved ones is one of the most rewarding highlights of my work.

What do you wish more people understood about your field or the chemical sciences in general? 

When I take part in outreach, I am always struck by how quickly archaeological chemistry captures the imagination of both children and adults. Analytical chemistry is such an important tool for probing our environment, past and present. Being able to characterise compounds opens remarkable possibilities for understanding the world around us.

What does good research culture mean to you, and why does it matter? 

I strive to recognise the contribution of every colleague I work with. Research is fundamentally a team effort, and none of it would be possible without the people who keep laboratories running, maintain instruments, mentor and train new researchers, and generate high quality data with analytical rigour — alongside those who excavate and preserve the materials we study.

How important would you say collaboration is for producing high-quality science? How has collaboration influenced your work? 

As part of my research, I am lucky to work with a wide range of colleagues, that be archaeologists, conservation scientists, archaeozoologists, ruminant dieticians, geneticists, statisticians, epidemiologists, climate modellers, isotope geochemists. Collaboration is thus key in my research. This enables us to tackle some questions that would otherwise remain out of reach. Together we’re stronger! 

What is your favourite element and why? 

Carbon – I am always amazed by the diversity of organic compounds present in the environment (molecular composition). When adding their isotope signatures, we can learn so much about chemical processes (stable ¹²C, ¹³C) and dating (radiocarbon, ¹⁴C).