Dr RIVERA, Michael B. C.
Dr RIVERA, Michael B. C.
趙凱聰
Teaching AssistantAcademic Unit of Human Communication, Development, and Information Sciences
Qualification
PhD in Biological Anthropology (University of Cambridge)
MPhil in Biological Anthropological Science (University of Cambridge)
BSc in Anthropology with Honours (University of Kent)
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Location
Room G05, Runme Shaw Building
Links
Twitter Link
Areas of Expertise
Dr. Michael B. C. Rivera is a Filipino-Chinese researcher, writer, blogger, podcaster, public speaker and biological anthropologist based in Hong Kong. Obtaining his PhD in 2019 from the University of Cambridge, his main research focuses on how humans have evolved and adapted biologically and culturally over the last six million years. His main research methods include osteobiographical reconstructions of diet, disease, physical activity and body shape/size. Through human skeletal analysis, he is most interested in how active and healthy the lifestyles and diets were of ancient peoples living in coastal environments - particularly in East and Southeast Asia, and in the Baltic region of northeastern Europe.
Other interests include heritage and museums, culture and food, ethnographic documentary-making and visual anthropology, decolonial theory and praxis, the history of race and racism, social media and digital technologies, public engagement and science communication, and the decolonization of archaeology/anthropology.
Projects
Dr. Rivera is currently working on establishing a greater presence of bioanthropological science in Hong Kong, in terms of research, teaching, laboratory and field projects, and public engagement projects. This involves the establishment and bringing together of various areas of academic inquiry, including human genomics, human skeletal/dental studies, biology and anatomy, geology and isotopic chemistry, primatology, ecology and environmental studies, as well as history, archaeology and museum studies.
He is also the lead archaeologist managing the excavation of the remains of a US Navy plane that crashed in Hong Kong in 1945. He has worked in/has other active bioarchaeology/bioanthropology projects in the Philippines, Japan, India, and further beyond in Southeast Asia, Europe, South America and Africa. Finally, Dr. Rivera has also worked extensively in making scientific work and research ideas accessible through various forms of teaching, social media and public engagement.
Publications
Rivera, Michael B. C. (2020). Race and Human Variation. In: An Open Access Introduction to Biological Anthropology. Shook, B., Aguilera, K., Nelson, K. and Braff, L. (eds). (link)
Professional Community Services
Member (Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society)
Food documentarian (Spice, Rice and Tea)
Volunteer (Christian Action)
