Durham University Isotope Laboratory

Durham University Isotope Laboratory have been providing commercial services in isotopes for over 10 years. Our pioneering isotope experts and world class facilities are here to service your needs.

Our Services

Mobility isotopes (Sr, Pb, O, S)	Dietary isotopes (C, N)	Trace element analysis	Peptide sex determination
Collagen  extraction	Sample pre-treatments	Isotope Project Planning	Commercial and Academic Report writing

 

Materials we can work on

Human teeth and bones	Animal teeth and bones	Cremation burials
Terrestrial and marine shells	Charred grains	Archaeological and Forensic samples

Why work with Durham University Isotope Laboratory?

Experience

We’ve been providing commercial services in isotopes for over 10 years.

Pioneering Isotope Experts

Our world-leading isotope expert Professor Janet Montgomery, FBA has and continues to develop industry standard methods for migration studies including migration studies using lead and strontium isotope ratios.

World class facilities

We have a suite of state-of-the-art facilities on site that provide services for commercial and research partners.

Peptide sexing

Our innovative technique can reveal the sex of juvenile and fragmented remains, unlocking demographic insights previously unattainable.

Cutting edge techniques

We routinely carry out research using the most up to date techniques:

• Incremental dentine analysis
• Isotopic analysis of cremations
• Sr micro sampling

Publication standard reporting/analysis

We interpret and contextualise your data to a standard ready for publication.

Academic paper writing

We assist our clients to write and edit academic papers as well as aid with other outreach needs.

Who we've worked with

Wessex Archaeology	Oxford Archaeology	Museum of London Archaeology
The British Museum	National Museum of Iceland	Colchester + Ipswich Museums
Cornwall Archaeological Unit	Worcestershire County Council	Flintshire County Council

Our Experts

Our experts are supported by a team of specialist technicians and research students.

Professor Janet Montgomery

Janet has been a leading researcher in the isotopic analyses of archaeological material for over 20 years. She pioneered the combined use of strontium and lead isotope analyses to explore mobility in the past and is extensively published in journals spanning several diverse disciplines (archaeology, biology, geochemistry, geology and environmental). Janet continues to be an extremely active researcher and participates in numerous academic and commercial collaborative projects to further our fundamental understanding of how isotopes can be applied to archaeological questions of diet and mobility.

Janet was recently elected as a fellow of the British Academy.

Dr Joanna Moore

Joanna has been an academic researcher specialising in the isotopic and peptide analyses of archaeological remains for 10 years. She has experience in commercial and academic multi-isotope research and has worked on skeletal material from a range of contexts and countries across Europe.