CNUTS Dries

Dries Cnuts presently holds the position of Research Logistician at TraceoLab, where he fulfills a diverse set of responsibilities that are linked with advancing research within functional analysis and supporting fellow researchers through training and access to microscopy platform and the Traceolab reference collection TRAIL.

Training: responsible for organizing and facilitating training on functional analysis for researchers.

Functional Analysis Expertise: Dries is an expert in functional analysis, specializing in the intricate field of lithic residue analysis. His work contributes significantly to understanding prehistoric artifacts and the insights they provide into ancient human activities. He is involved in numerous national and international research projects where he carries out lithic residue analysis. These projects include 'Investigating the Deep Roots of Human Behaviour,' led by Prof. Lawrence Barham and Dr. Veerle Rots where. Dries is responsible for residue analysis on lithic artifacts from Kalambo Falls, Zambia. As a co-investigator in the interdisciplinary research project 'From micro to macro.' The project is led by Dr. Veerle Rots and is subsidized by the Flemish government. He also serves as a researcher within the interdisciplinary ARC project 'Glue,' a collaboration between TraceoLab and OBiAChem.

Facility Management: Dries oversees and manages TraceoLab's microscopy and experimentation platform, ensuring the availability and functionality of equipment and technologies that are crucial for the research activities of TraceoLab. He is responsible for the supervision and curation of the experimental reference collection of the TraceoLab known as TRAIL, which serves as a valuable resource for comparative and analytical purposes.

Dries earned his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from the University of Liège in 2021. His doctoral research focused on the application of optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to residue analysis, specifically in identifying residues, attributing them to various processes, and understanding taphonomic effects. This research was part of an ERC starting grant led by Dr. Veerle Rots, investigating the evolution of hafting during the Palaeolithic.

Before completing his PhD, Dries graduated from the University of Leuven in 2007 and conducted extensive archaeological work. After briefly working for the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he returned to archaeology in 2012. Between 2012 and 2013, he worked as an archaeologist in the Prehistoric Archaeology unit at the University of Leuven, contributing to prehistoric field projects in Belgium. In 2013, he began his PhD under the supervision of Dr. Veerle Rots, focusing on methodological challenges related to the residue analysis of stone tools.