Wenjing Yu

Support Wenjing in her fundraising campaign.

Wenjing Yu is an early-career researcher in archaeology at Southern Cross University, where she delves into the fascinating world of fossil bones and teeth. Her academic journey began with a BSc from China University of Geosciences, followed by a joint MA degree from Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS (France), and Université Rovira i Virgili (Spain). She completed her Ph.D. at La Trobe University (Australia). Born in China, she has had the incredible opportunity to live in four different countries and travel to 29 others, enriching her perspective on archaeology and culture. She is fluent in Chinese, English, and Japanese, with a working knowledge of French, which allows her to connect with diverse communities. Her passion for applied physics in archaeology led her to specialize in combined uranium series and electron spin resonance dating. Currently, she is working with the US-ESR method to determine the ages of fossil teeth from South Africa and Southeast Asia. This research aims to illuminate the relationships among Paranthropus, early Homo, and Australopithecus, as well as other key non-hominin taxa like Dinofelis. In recognition of her work, she was honored to receive the first prize in the young scientist research competition awarded by the Royal Society of Victoria. Her interests also extend to Aboriginal archaeology in Australia, where she served as a heritage officer for the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation. Her fieldwork experiences span France, Italy, China, and South Africa, each adventure adding to her passion for archaeology. When she’s not in the field or the lab, you can find her fencing or rocking out to heavy metal music—two of her favorite pastimes!