ACerS is pleased to announce Fumie Iizuka has been selected for Volunteer Spotlight, a program that recognizes a member who demonstrates outstanding service to The American Ceramic Society through volunteerism.
Iizuka is assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an affiliated researcher in the Center for Northeast Asian Studies at Tohoku University, Japan. She received her M.A. in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Arizona. Prior to joining UW-Madison, she was affiliated as a researcher with institutions including the Research Reactor Center and the Department of Anthropology at the University of Missouri; the University of California, Merced; and Tokyo Metropolitan University. She also taught at a variety of institutions including the University of California, Merced; the University of California, Los Angeles; and California State University, Fullerton.
Iizuka uses geochronology and reconstructed ceramic technology to investigate decisions made by hunter–gatherers and early farmers who adopted pottery and associated technologies in response to climate and ecosystem changes. Her current geographical foci are Japan and Mongolia, with primary research conducted on Tanegashima Island in southern Japan, where there is an excavation site bearing Ice Age pottery. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Japan Society for Promotion of Science, and Smithsonian Institution.
Iizuka was chair of the Art, Archaeology and Conservation Science Division (AACS) in 2024–2025. Through AACS, she chaired a symposium at the 16th Pacific Rim Conference in 2025 and co-chaired symposia at the Pan-American Ceramics Congress in 2022 and 2024. She is a recipient of the Claude C. Albritton Jr. Award from the Geological Society of America.
We extend our deep appreciation to Iizuka for her service to our Society!
