Marco Madella is an ICREA Research Professor in the Department of Humanities at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) in Barcelona, where he leads the Culture, Archaeology and Socio-Ecological Dynamics (CaSEs) research group and directs the UPF Centre for Digital Methodologies in the Human Space. His research focuses on the socio-ecological dynamics of past human populations in challenging environments, from hyper-humid to arid and semi-arid regions, spanning the Mediterranean and tropical areas.
His work explores past land-use patterns, human behavioral change, the co-evolution of people and plants, long-term biodiversity and sustainability trajectories in prehistoric societies, and the origins and resilience of agricultural practices. More recently, he has developed research on large-scale digital recording and protection of archaeological heritage in regions facing increasing threats.
Throughout his career, he has made significant contributions to archaeological science, including the development of interdisciplinary methodologies for modeling and simulating ancient societies and their interactions with environmental change through projects such as SImulPast (INGENIO-Consolider). He has also advanced the use of machine-learning techniques for the automated remote detection of archaeological heritage through initiatives such as the MAPHSA Project (Arcadia).
Madella is an honorary professor at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa and has previously held positions at IMF-CSIC Barcelona and the University of Cambridge. He has also served as a visiting professor at institutions in Korea, Japan, India, and the United Kingdom. Over the past two decades, he has led numerous international research projects in archaeological science, many with a strong digital component, funded by the European Union, the Spanish and Catalan governments, and private foundations including BBVA, Palarq, and Arcadia.
Email: marco.madella@upf.edu