IJk van Hattum studied archeology at Leiden University in the Netherlands. During her Bachelor's degree, IJk focused on the archaeology of the Near East and developed an interest in funerary archaeology.
In 2015 she received her Msc diploma in archaeology, with a specialization in osteology and the archaeology of Northwestern Europe. During her MSc, IJk was trained in stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic analysis at the Vrije Universiteit (VU), which she applied for her thesis 'Diet in Medieval Holland A stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of bone collagen from early medieval Blokhuizen and late medieval Alkmaar'. During her MSc, IJk also spent a semester at University College London (UCL) to study dental anthropology.
In May 2020 IJk started her doctorate at UGent. In her Ph.D. research, she combines isotopic analyses, dental anthropology, and osteology to study Neolithic human remains from Belgium. As a Ph.D. student, IJk also assists Prof. Dr. Isabelle De Groote with the teaching of the courses in physical anthropology for the BA and MA students.
