James Keppeler | University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences

James Keppeler

Anthropology Ph.D. Candidate

James Keppeler is currently a PhD Candidate in the University of Kentucky Department of Anthropology exploring debates on the introduction of rice agriculture in the Philippines. James excavated in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, exploring the timing and origin of rice agriculture in that region. James has also worked on applications of 3D digitization methods in archaeological research and cultural heritage preservation and education.

James completed his BA in Classics from the University of Minnesota in 2018, where he studied the effects of cultural creolization in the Roman province of Dacia. For his Master of Science degree in Archaeological Science at the University of Tübingen (2021), James conducted a geometric morphometric analysis on ancient Egyptian mummified human remains to research population changes across time at the site and community of Gebel Abusir.

Contact Information

james.keppeler@uky.edu

Lafferty Hall Rm. 102G, 150 Patterson Dr Lexington, KY 40506 United States

William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology, 1020 Export St. Lexington KY 40504

Education

B.A., Classics, University of Minnesota, USA
M.Sc., Archaeological Science, University of Tübingen, Germany

Research Interests

origins of agriculture
archaeobotany
human osteology
Digital Archaeology
Philippines

Affiliations

Anthropology

Selected Publications

Selected Publications:

Keppeler, J.G., Rodriguez, M., Koontz, S., Wise, A., Mink, P., Crothers, G., Murphy, P.R., Robertson, J.K., Reyes-Centeno, H., Uhl, A. 2025. Remote Sensing of American Revolutionary War Fortification at Butts Hill (Portsmouth, Rhode Island). Heritage, 8(10), 430.
Göldner, D., Keppeler, J., 2025. Digital Surface Modeling of Two Human Mummified Remains at the Rudolf-Virchow Collection Using 3D Photogrammetry and Artec Scanning. Mitteilungen der Berliner Gesellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte. 45, 69–85.
Napora, K., Crothers, G., Hadden, C., Guerre, L., Waldman, L., Reyes-Centeno, H., Keppeler, J., Imler, M., Jakaitis, E., Metz, A., Mink, P. 2023. Multi-method analysis of a historic wooden trough from Kentucky, USA: a case study in corroborating artifact oral histories with heritage science. Heritage Science 11.1: 235.