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Archaeologist, Arizona State University
School of Human Evolution and Social Change
Institute of Human Origins
I am currently working towards my Ph.D. at Arizona State University with a focus on archaeology. I am a field specialist and my main expertise is in geochemistry and chronology. I am the lab manager of the Sediment and Tephra Preparation Lab in the Institute of Human Origins, and the AMAZING Lab in the School of Earth and Space Exploration at ASU.
My research focuses on the impact of climate change on humans, specifically short-term climate change due to volcanic eruptions. To test this, I am using geochemical data from volcanic glass (cryptotephra) to trace the furthest extents of eruptions like Toba, which was a supereruption thought to have caused a 6-year global cooling event and potential genetic bottlenecking to humans. I also use this data to provide more accurate ages for archaeological sites and correlate them across vast geographic regions.
A major part of my work focuses on advancing field and analytical techniques, which is critical when working with extremely rare and fragile volcanic glass at archaeological sites.
Education:
Current - Ph.D in Anthropology, Arizona State University
2019 - M.A. in Anthropology, Arizona State University
2016 - B.S. in Evolutionary Anthropology, Rutgers University
Publications:
Hirniak, J. N., Murray, J. K., & Zipkin, A. M. (2025). A microanalytical source discrimination study of South African silcrete using LA-ICP-MS. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 66, 105332.
Gravel-Miguel, C., Snitker, G., Hirniak, J. N., Peck, K., & Fetterhoff, A. (2025). Semantic Segmentation of Archaeological Features on Public Lands: Case Study of Historical Cotton Terraces within the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge, Georgia, USA. Advances in Archaeological Practice, 1-24.
Kappelman, J., [Hirniak, J. N.]...et al. (2024). Adaptive foraging behaviours in the Horn of Africa during Toba supereruption. Nature, 628(8007), 365-372.
Hirniak, J. N., Smith, E. I., Johnsen, R., Ren, M., Hodgkins, J., Orr, C., ... & Marean, C. W. (2020). Discovery of cryptotephra at Middle–Upper Paleolithic sites Arma Veirana and Riparo Bombrini, Italy: a new link for broader geographic correlations. Journal of Quaternary Science, 35(1-2), 199-212.
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