Madeline (Mads) Conigliaro-Nguyen is a PhD student specializing in zooarchaeology. Her research examines human–animal relationships in medieval Central Asia, focusing on how interspecies interactions influenced shifting lifeways and subsistence practices along the Silk Roads during a period of expanding trade and mobility.

 

After completing her master’s degree at the University of Chicago, Mads began working on archaeological projects across the Erbil Plain in Kurdistan, Iraq. Over the past several years, she has served as a zooarchaeology assistant on sites spanning the Chalcolithic through Iron Age periods, gaining foundational methodological experience in the field. This work inspired her most recent research on human–dog relationships and the role of canines during the transition from hunter-gatherer to agropastoral practices in northern Mesopotamia.

 

Mads is also deeply committed to public engagement in archaeology. Her experiences with the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures, and K–12 classrooms continue to shape her approach to accessible and inclusive research, especially with younger audiences.

 

Working with Dr. Michael Frachetti on the SR-HUBs Archaeology Project, Mads is now applying zooarchaeological and biomolecular methods to investigate human–animal interactions at the sites of Tashbulak and Tugunbulak in Uzbekistan as part of her dissertation research.