Constitution

Quick Summary

We are the Practices in Isotopic Techniques and Advancing Applications in Archaeology (PITAAA) community, a global collective of researchers dedicated to the advancement of isotopic research and methodologies for reconstructing past environments, dietary and mobility practices in both humans and fauna from archaeological remains. By applying stable and radiogenic isotope analysis to human and animal tissues, soil, plants, and artefacts, our community investigates human and environmental history with unprecedented precision. We have become and official affilite of the International Society of Biomolecular Archaeology as of 2026!

Our key aims include:

Location

Our main community space is Element. We also gather either in-person or online yearly for a main conference and online for various events. We keep information about the community archived on our website, along with information on how to get involved.

Membership

We welcome all early stage career researchers, as well as Principal Investigators (PIs) and other senior researchers, to join our community. However, the community wants to be especially useful and supportive for early career researchers; thus, we encourage PIs to not monopolise discussions.

All members of our community are obliged to follow our code of conduct. Before joining the community be sure to read and understand what this entails. This code of conduct outlines our expectations for all those who participate in our community, as well as the consequences for unacceptable behaviour. All members of PITAAA are required to agree and comply with this code of conduct. Safety officers are responsible for enforcing this code within the community, including dealing with any violations. We expect cooperation from all participants to help ensure a safe and positive environment for everybody.

Initiatives

Since we are a new community we are just beginning to develop a lineup of events for 2026-2027 but these include:

New initiatives and projects are highly encouraged. For that reason a Steering Committee (see description below) was established to aid the projects/initiatives to reach their goals by providing ideas, support and advice.

Finances

There is no membership fee to join the PITAAA community. However, opportunities for voluntary donations will be presented in community-wide PITAAA meetings. We are financially supported by voluntary donations by members and research group leaders. If you are able to contribute financially and would like to support the PITAAA community, please contact a member of the treasurer team of the Steering Committee.

Constitution

The constitution (this document) outlines the structure and information about the PITAAA community. The constitution is a living document which will be updated as needed to fit the needs of the PITAAA community. It is primarily maintained by the Steering Committee, but other members can make suggestions by reaching out to the Steering committee and advocate for changes as they see fit. Changes to the constitution are subject to a vote by the community and will require a 2/3 majority (2/3 “yes” votes out of all votes). The vote will be announced on our Element channel and the mailing list and will not have a minimum number of votes.

PITAAA Steering Committee

Definition - Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is an advisory board that provides support, guidance and oversight of particular issues or projects within the context of the community. It was formed in 2026 after the ISBA 2025 conference. The Steering Committee meets roughly once a month.

The tasks of the Steering Committee involve brainstorming and proposing new initiatives and helping new initiatives get off the ground, by increasing engagement and support for PITAAA members and events, helping with ongoing organisation efforts, popularisation of PITAAA, and sourcing funds for the maintenance of PITAAA.

Since the affiliation with the International Society for Biomolecular Archaeology (ISBA) in 2026, the Steering Committee represents the community within ISBA and reports back to ISBA in the annual general meeting. The PITAAA Steering Committee also maintains contact with the Steering Committees of other initiatives to share experiences and organize cross-community initiatives.

The current members of the Steering Committee can be found here.

6th July 2026