Researcher, Zimbabwe
Fionna is a student researcher based in the Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology Department at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. She holds a BA Honours in Archaeology and is currently advancing her studies through a BA Master’s in Archaeology.
Fionna completed her BA Honours in 2024 before starting her Masters degree in 2025. Most notably her studies have brought her to work in southern Africa’s renowned Kruger National Park. Fionna’s honours and master’s research focus on the analysis of first-millennium AD ceramics from southern Africa. By combining traditional stylistic approaches with chemical and mineral analytical techniques, she offers a more detailed and holistic interpretation of ceramic assemblages. In her current position with the MAEASaM project, she is predominantly focussed on research and remote sensing in Zimbabwe.
In my opinion, artefacts have always been irreplaceable teachers. They are tangible connections to the people who came before us and who have shaped our history. Preserving this history has always been important to me. Every artefact or site that we can research, map and safeguard becomes part of a much larger story.
In her spare time, Fionna enjoys various creative interests such as painting and drawing. She also enjoys partaking in physical activities such as canoe marathons and road running.
Read more about Fionna on LinkedIn.