Ran Chen is a Ph.D. student in the Anthropology (Archaeology) program at the University of Arizona. Ran was born and raised in Zhejiang Province, China, and got her B.A. in Cultural Heritage and Museology at Zhejiang University with a minor in Japanese in 2017. Ran received her M.A. from
Stanford University with a sub-plan on Chinese Archaeology in 2019. Her M.A. thesis is about microblade functions in two early Neolithic sites in Inner Mongolia through experimental study, use-wear analysis (low-and high-power), and residue analysis (starch, phytolith, and fiber). Currently, Ran’s study is mainly focused on subsistence strategies and foodways in Prehistoric China. She is also interested in lithic analysis and studies of human-environment interactions. Besides her major interest in China, luckily, Ran also had chances to involve in the CVAP and ACLQ Chinese Railroad worker programs and the residue analysis of samples from Copan, Honduras when she was at Stanford.