Sarah Duignan

My current PhD research investigates current public health and wellbeing as they connect to water and food security. I work with an Indigenous community to co-create research and knowledge translations surrounding water quality and health that are accessible and culturally relevant to the community.

I am the host of AnthroDish podcast where I speak with guests (both researchers and everyday folks) about how food relates to identities and cultures, using informal discussions to explore food-related themes in an anthropological lens. It is produced in partnership with the American Anthropological Association.

I have a background in bioarchaeology and stable isotope analysis. My research areas for this were Belize (Maya periods) and Denmark (Medieval period), where I looked at mobility during periods of stress, famine, and disease.

I spend my summers working at the Fortress of Louisbourg, NS, on a bioarchaeological rescue project through the University of New Brunswick and Parks Canada, where we excavate the 18th century cemetery on Rochefort Point that is quickly disappearing into the ocean as a result of coastal erosion.