Dr. Rosalie Hermans

Rosalie is a researcher, specialising in archaeobotany and palaeoecology. Her research focuses on using  3D morphometric analysis of phytoliths (microscopic plant silica) to reconstruct the palaeoenvironment going back millions of years ago and to help archaeologists identify ancient cereals. Outside the lab, she is an avid baker who was a finalist on Bake Off Vlaanderen during her PhD, and she is currently training to become a professional wine sommelier.

In April 2026, Rosalie joined the Strömberg Lab in the Department of Biology at the University of Washington (UW, Seattle, USA) as a postdoctoral researcher. In her current role, she analyses phytolith remains within a global fossil record spanning millions of years (Cretaceous – Neogene period), exploring samples across regions like the USA, Turkey, India, and East Africa. Her research helps palaeoecologists map out deep-time grass evolution. Rosalie continues to maintain collaborative ties between the UW and AMGC research communities.

Supervisors: Christophe Snoeck and Caroline Strömberg

Education

• PhD in Art Studies and Archaeology: Cultural Heritage Studies (2026), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
• MSc in Business Economics, minor Risk & Finance, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
• MSc in Management (2020), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
• MA in Art Sciences and Archaeology (2019), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium 
• BA in Art Sciences and Archaeology (2018), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium

Keywords

• Phytolith research
• archaeobotany
• palaeoecology
• grass evolution

Main Publications

• Hermans, Rosalie, Timothy Gallaher, William Brightly, Callie Zender, Christophe Snoeck, and Caroline Strömberg. "Reconstructing Cenozoic Grasslands in North America and Western Eurasia: Evidence for Cold-Season Grasses from 3D Phytolith Morphology." New Phytologist (accepted manuscript).
• Hermans, Rosalie M., Mao Li, William H. Brightly, Timothy J. Gallaher, Wouter Smagghe, Hannah Lee, Leticia Arco et al. "Elongate dendritic phytoliths as indicators for cereal identification and domestication: exploring a 3D morphometric approach." Frontiers in Plant Science 16 (2025): 1643447.
• Hermans, Rosalie, Caroline AE Strömberg, Tessi Löffelmann, Luc Vrydaghs, Lien Speleers, Alexandre Chevalier, Karin Nys, and Christophe Snoeck. "Phytoliths in dicotyledons occurring in Northwest Europe: establishing a baseline." Annals of Botany 135, no. 5 (2025): 885-908.
• Brightly, W. H., C. Crifò, T. J. Gallaher, R. Hermans, S. Lavin, A. J. Lowe, C. A. Smythies, E. Stiles, P. Wilson Deibel, and C. A. E. Strömberg. "Palms of the past: can morphometric phytolith analysis inform deep time evolution and palaeoecology of Arecaceae?." Annals of Botany 134, no. 2 (2024): 263-282.
• Devos, Yannick, Luc Vrydaghs, Olivier Collette, Rosalie Hermans, and Sophie Loicq. "Understanding the formation of buried urban Anthrosols and Technosols: An integrated soil micromorphological and phytolith study of the Dark Earth on the Mundaneum site (Mons, Belgium)." Catena 215 (2022): 106322.