Venicia is a paleoethnobotanist working in Latin America and specializes in the identification and interpretation of macrobotanical (seeds, fruits, etc.) and anthracological (wood charcoal) archaeological plant remains. She has conducted research on archaeological excavations and analyzed paleoethnobotanical material from El Salvador, Costa Rica, Belize, Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, and Ecuador as well as from Ohio and New Mexico within the United States. Her research interests include household archaeology, historical ecology, and agroecology. She is currently focusing on her dissertation research in the Arenal region of Costa Rica at the sites of G-995 La Chiripa and G-164 Sitio Bolivar as part of the Proyecto Prehistórico Arenal. She is investigating the past foodways and resource management practices in this region which has exhibited a long history of resilience within an actively volcanic landscape.
Venicia earned her MA in Anthropology from the University of Cincinnati and a BA in Anthropology and Latin American Studies from Miami University.
