Kristina M. Gill, Ph.D.

Kristina is an archaeobotanist and archaeologist working primarily in island and coastal areas of central and Southern California.

Kristina M. Gill, Ph.D., is an archaeobotanist and archaeologist working primarily in island and coastal areas of central and Southern California, and she is a research associate at Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. She completed her doctorate in anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research focuses on ancient plant use, subsistence, and settlement patterns among the Chumash and Tongva and their ancestors, who inhabited the islands off the coast of southern Alta California for more than 13,000 years. Kristina combines historical ecological data from archaeological sites and traditional ecological knowledge to inform modern land management and restoration practices, especially in the face of climate change.