Rate My Professor Karen Greig

Associate Professor Karen Greig is a Pacific archaeologist in the Archaeology Programme, School of Social Sciences, at the University of Otago within the Division of Humanities. She earned her PhD in Archaeology from the University of Otago, with her doctoral thesis titled 'Tracking dogs across the Pacific: an archaeological and ancient DNA study.' As Co-Director of the Southern Pacific Archaeological Research (SPAR), a prominent research unit and archaeological consultancy promoting best practices in heritage management, Greig brings over twenty years of experience in the heritage sector. She currently serves as Associate Dean Research for the Te Kete Aronui Humanities Division and Theme Leader for the Coastal People: Southern Skies Centre of Research Excellence, fostering community connections through cross-disciplinary coastal ecosystem research. Greig contributes to teaching, including as a contributing lecturer for ANTH 550 Archaeology and Heritage Practice, and supervises numerous postgraduate theses in archaeology.

Greig's research investigates the colonisation of Oceania and the development of Pacific cultures, emphasizing human-animal relationships and their roles in social interactions and environmental change. Employing archaeological, anthropological, and biomolecular methods such as ancient DNA analysis, her work centers on archaeozoology, including biomolecular archaeozoology, New Zealand archaeology, cultural heritage management, and the Archaeology of Oceania with a focus on Polynesia and Aotearoa. She engages in multi-disciplinary collaborations spanning biological anthropology, molecular genetics, and computer science to explore trade, exchange, and adaptation processes. Notable publications include 'Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey' (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2018), 'Complex history of dog (Canis familiaris) origins and translocations in the Pacific revealed by ancient mitogenomes' (Scientific Reports, 2018), 'Complete mitochondrial genomes of New Zealand’s first dogs' (PLoS ONE, 2015), 'The contribution of kurī (Polynesian dog) to the ecological impacts of the human settlement of Aotearoa New Zealand' (Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2021), and 'Genomic and morphometric evidence for Austronesian-mediated pig translocation in the Pacific' (Science, 2026). Greig also convenes the Humanities Research Committee and advances applied archaeology through SPAR projects.