The proposed project investigates three relevant, inter-related and multidisciplinary topics on Western Mediterranean Prehistory: 1) The paleoenvironmental context of the Mesolithic-Neolithic transition in Eastern Iberia 2) The effects of environmental stress to prehistoric communities and their resilience to short-term climate changes and 3) The anthropogenic impact of the first agricultural and husbandry systems on landscape (7500-4000 cal BP). To achieve these goals, the candidate and the host institution have designed a project that will integrate new multi-proxy paleoenvironmental data from two lake deposits in the Upper Vinalopó Valley (Eastern Spain) with direct archaeological information from Mesolithic and Neolithic sites from the same area. Through the multi-proxy analysis of the two lake cores, the candidate will be trained in the application of new analytical procedures (micro-charcoal analysis, pine stomata identification, XRF, DXR) and will adapt her previous skills (Loss on Ignition, Pollen and Phytolith analysis) to a new geographic context. The proposed research will enhance the candidate's capabilities to integrate palaeoecological and archaeological evidence, a step which is decisive to promote her scientific leadership and career development.