Ester Oras

Ester Oras obtained her PhD degree in archaeology from the University of Cambridge in 2014. She returned to her alma mater, the University of Tartu, as a postdoctoral researcher at the Institute of Chemistry to study ancient dietary practices through pottery lipid residue analysis. Since then Oras has been affiliated with the Departments of Archaeology and Analytical Chemistry, now serving as a
Professor of Archaeochemistry with research, teaching and supervision expertise at both institutes.

Oras is an interdisciplinary researcher who has dedicated her career to bridging the humanities and natural sciences. She is the first specialised archaeochemist in the eastern Baltics, who introduced organic residue analysis to the region. Her main field of research is the use of biomolecular archaeology (lipids, proteins, isotopes) to study ancient diet, diseases and migrations, with a specialisation in pre- and protohistory of the Baltic Sea region. Oras is the initiator and director of the Archemy lab External link, opens in new window. at the University of Tartu.

Oras has obtained multiple research grants and awards, including the prestigious European Commission ERC Starting Grant FoodID for studying identity building through ancient dietary practices. Her publications include articles in leading international journals in both archaeology and analytical chemistry covering the development of novel mass spectrometry methods, reconstruction of ancient foodways since the introduction of pottery in the Baltics, multi-disciplinary analysis of Graeco-Roman Period mummies from Egypt and the coining of the new concept of biomolecular humanities.

As a Pro Futura Scientia Fellow, Ester Oras will study the arrival and spread of domesticated ruminants in the eastern Baltics, to reveal the impact of novel dietary substances on the health of past populations. Her project brings together archaeological material, anthropological sources and cutting-edge biomolecular techniques combining lipidomics, proteomics and genomics to analyse archaeological pottery, human and animal remains. Her study will provide insights into the function, character and impact of early domesticates in the eastern Baltics, playing a central role in the development of our overall wellbeing, agricultural heritage, and culinary traditions that still exist today.

This information is accurate as of the academic year 2025-26.