Véronique Zech-Matterne is archaeobotanist, “chargée de recherche” at the CNRS, Dr in archaeology and environment (university of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne), HDR (Rennes I). She works in the Archéozoologie-Archéobotanique, sociétés, pratiques, environnements research unit (UMR 7209 CNRS/MNHN/SU), in the National Museum for Natural History, Paris.

Based on a set of 275 archaeobotanical studies of her own, her research program concerns the evolution of crop husbandry systems in northern Gaul, between the Late Bronze Age and the end of the Roman period (1350 BC-500 AD), as well as changes in synanthropic vegetation (arable weeds and ruderals) in regard with agricultural practices.

Other topics of interest are the societal and social aspects associated with food preparation, consumption, storage and supply, and the use of plants in craft production (textile and dye products). She also gives attention to plant remains associated with funerary and worship contexts, in Italy (Pompeii) and France.

Regarding her contribution to PLANTCULT, she was in charge of a one-year project, PANEXPLORE, funded by the CNRS-INEE institute (PEPS blanc 2016), through which X-RAY computer tomography and SEM were used to identify the plant components of archaeological flat-breads, breads and loaves as well as to investigate their structural patterns.