Rate My Professor Morgan Disspain

Dr. Morgan Disspain serves as an Adjunct Lecturer in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia. She earned her PhD in Biological Sciences and Archaeology from the University of Adelaide in 2016, where her doctoral research was recognized with the University of Adelaide Doctoral Research Medal for outstanding PhD-level research. Prior to this, she completed a Bachelor of Archaeology (Honours). Her academic and professional career spans over 17 years in archaeology and cultural heritage management, encompassing both consultancy and research roles across New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia, and South America.

Disspain's research expertise lies in ichthyoarchaeology, focusing on the analysis of fish otoliths—ear bones of fish—as proxies for reconstructing past environmental conditions, climate changes, fisheries histories, and human behavioral patterns. She employs techniques such as stable isotope analysis, geochemistry, and radiocarbon dating to interpret archaeological fish remains. Notable publications include "Otoliths in archaeology: methods, applications and future prospects" (2016), "Do fish remains provide reliable palaeoenvironmental records? An examination of the effects of cooking on the morphology and chemistry of fish otoliths, vertebrae and scales" (2016), "Direct radiocarbon dating of fish otoliths from mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus) and black bream (Acanthopagrus butcheri) from Long Point, Coorong, South Australia" (2017), "Long-term archaeological and historical archives for mulloway, Argyrosomus japonicus, populations in eastern South Australia" (2018), and "Human responses to the late Holocene freshwater transition on the northern coastal plains of the Alligator Rivers region in western Arnhem Land" (2020). Her scholarly contributions have been cited over 330 times, reflecting her influence in the fields of palaeoecology, environmental archaeology, and fisheries science.

Currently, she holds the position of Heritage Technical and Commercial Lead at Niche Environment and Heritage, where she manages large-scale cultural heritage projects, ensures legislative compliance, leads teams, and engages with Aboriginal communities. Previously, she worked as a Senior Archaeologist at Everick Heritage Consultants and as a PhD student at the University of Adelaide's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences. Disspain is a member of the Australian Archaeological Association and an Associate member of the Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists Inc. She has contributed public outreach articles, such as "How we’re using fish ear bones as ‘time capsules’ of past river health" published on The Conversation in 2018.