Kelvin (BA in Archaeology and Information Studies, U of Ghana, 2018, MPhil in Archaeology, U of Ghana, 2021) is a PhD student in anthropology with interests in Ghanaian archaeology, GIS, remote sensing, and heritage studies. Before joining our doctoral program in August 2024, Kelvin participated in several archaeological field projects across Ghana. Most recently, he carried fieldwork at the Dutch-built Fort Gross Frederiksburg, Princestown, Ghana. Kelvin’s research was featured in Nyame Akuma, Volume 101, the 2024 bulletin of the Society of Africanist Archaeologists.

Kelvin is currently taking courses, reading, and developing a research design for his dissertation.

Walker (BA in Spanish, Texas Tech U, 2023, BA in Geography, Texas Tech U, 2023) is a MA student in anthropology with interests in archaeology, geography, and Andean studies. Before joining our graduate program in in August 2024, he participated in the El Campanario Archaeological Project in Huarmey, Peru.

Walker is currently taking courses and developing a thesis research project.

Conan (BA in Anthropology, LSU, 2024) is a MA student in anthropology with interests in digital archaeology, landscape archaeology, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the use of Small Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (sUAS) in archaeology. Before joining our graduate program in August 2024, he assisted in excavations at Kisatchie National Forest as part of archaeology field schools organized by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in collaboration with the Louisiana Public Archaeology Lab in both 2023 and 2024 field seasons.

In April 2024, Conan co-authored a poster presentation at the 89th Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archaeology in New Orleans using digital archaeology for analysis and preservation of archaeological sites in danger due to climate change. He has also authored, or co-authored, six articles for the Louisiana Archaeological Society Newsletter.

Conan is currently taking courses and elaborating a thesis project on the archaeology of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy, the site of the original Louisiana State University campus, in Pineville, LA.

Joseph (BA in Anthropology, UNO, 2023) is a MA student in anthropology interested in social complexity, human behavioral ecology, and the interface between tool-making and cultural evolution. In 2022, Joseph participated in archaeological excavations in Matrei am Brenner, Austria. He has also served as an intern for the Neighborhood Story Project in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Joseph joined our graduate program in August 2024 and is currently taking courses and elaborating a thesis research project.

Janique Gray (BA in Anthropology, UNO, 2022) is a MA student in anthropology with interests in bioarchaeology and osteology, and research experience in historical archaeology and museum curation. Before completing her bachelor’s degree at UNO, she studied at the University of South Alabama in Mobile where she gained experience in the identification and processing of human skeletal remains. At UNO, Janique contributed to the curation of digital photographic archives of artifacts found at the Whitney Plantation. In 2022, she joined a select group of archaeologists who traveled to Innsbruck, Austria, to excavate at Trautson castle as part of the retrieval of WWII archaeological remains.

Janique joined our MA program in August 2024 and is currently taking courses and developing a thesis project.

Julia (BA in Anthropology [Honors], U of Notre Dame, 2023) is a PhD student in anthropology with interests in bioarchaeology, osteology, paleopathology, and museum studies. Prior to joining our program in the Fall of 2023, she interned at the Field Museum and excavated at Gettysburg. In April 2023, Julia co-authored a poster presented at the 92nd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists in Reno.

In January 2024, Julia published a review of the book "Edible People: The Historical Consumption of Slaves and Foreigners and the Cannibalistic Trade in Human Flesh" (2022, Berghahn Books) in the AAA Anthropology Book Forum.

In April 2024, she co-authored a podium presentation at the 89th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in New Orleans.

In July-August 2024, Julia assisted Dr. José Peña on the El Campanario Archaeological Project in Huarmey, Peru.

Julia is currently taking courses, reading, and developing ideas for her graduate research.

Mathilde (BA in Anthropology, Tulane U, 2018) is a MA student in anthropology interested in bioarchaeology. She has field experience in Europe and Peru, and joined our graduate program in August 2021. In 2022, Mathilde participated in the second season of excavations at Cerro San Isidro.

Mathilde is currently investigating Andean archaeology and developing a thesis project focusing on mortuary practices at Cerro San Isidro, Peru.

Corey (BS in Anthropology, U of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2016, MS in Cartography & GIS, U of Wisconsin-Madison, 2021) is an anthropology PhD candidate with interest in Andean archaeology. He joined our doctoral program as a Huel D. Perkins Fellow in August 2021 and in 2022 took part in the second field season at Cerro San Isidro.

Corey completed his general exams in November 2024 and he is currently working on a dissertaton project exploring human-camelid relations in the ancient Andes.

Amy (BA in Anthropology, Michigan State U, 2018, MA in Anthropology, Southern Mississippi U, 2020) is an anthropology PhD candidate and bioarchaeologist interested in the Maya colonial era. She specializes in long bone histology and is particularly interested in health, labor patterns, cultural hybridity, and the use of GIS to explore burial trends. Amy has field experience throughout the Midwest, Belize, and Southeast and is particularly interested in cultural heritage preservation and public education.

Amy is currently in the fifth year of her doctoral program at LSU researching bone histology at the archaeological site of Tipu in Belize. In March 2022, she presented results of her research at the 49th Annual North American Meeting of the Paleopathology Association in Denver, for which she currently serves as Junior Co-Chair of the Paleopathology Association Student Group.

In 2024, Amy co-authored, with Peter Mercier, Mariah D. Briggs, and Marie Elaine Danforth, a chapter in the book Mesoamerican Osteobiographies: Revealing the Lifes and Deaths of Ancient Individuals edited by Gabriel D. Wrobel and Andrea Cucina and published by the University of Florida Press..

Amy successfully defended her dissertation in December 2024 and, pending revisions recommended by members of her committee and acceptance by the graduate school, she should graduate in May 2025.

Chris (BA in Anthropology, SUNY 2015, MA in Anthropology, Illinois State U, 2017) is a PhD candidate and bioarchaeologist with interests in paleopathology, diet, health, violence, and skeletal biology. He joined our program in August 2018 as a Huel D. Perkins Fellow. In 2019 Chris participated in the first season of excavations at Cerro San Isidro.

Chris passed his general exams in September 2020 and presented preliminary results of his doctoral research at the 87th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in 2022.

Chris is in his seventh year in the doctoral program, working towards completing a dissertation tracking paleopathologies through time and space in ancient North America as seen in nonspecific stress markers. He is also currently working as the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians in California.

Kenny is an anthropological archaeologist with interests in foodways. After a career in information systems, Kenny went back to college to complete dual bachelor degrees in Anthropology and Physics. In 2017, he completed a MA thesis exploring feasting practices and ceramic assemblages at Huambacho, Samanco, and Caylán in the lower Nepeña Valley, His MA work explored the distribution of the material remains of ceramic vessels and their potential usage in different functional and discard contexts at various locations. Kenny's thesis investigated “Pots, Pans, and Politics: Feasting in Early Horizon Nepeña, Peru.” His thesis was finalist for Conference of Southern Graduate Schools 2018 Master Thesis Award).

Kenny presented results of his MA research in 2018 at the 83rd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Washington, DC, as well as published an article in Ñawpa Pacha.

In 2024, under the supervision of a committee composed of David Chicoine, Helen Regis, Sarah Franzen, Matthew Helmer, and Leslie Tuttle (Dean's Rep), Kenny completed a PhD dissertation examining ancient foodways in Early Horizon Nepeña as seen through the integration of multiple proxy lines including botanical and faunal remains. In October 2019, he presented preliminary results of his dissertation at the 6th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Amazonian & Andean Studies held at the University of Alabama.

Kenny successfully defended his dissertation "What Macrofloral and Faunal are Cooking? A Synthesis of Early Horizon Foodways in the Nepeña Valley, Peru" in May 2024 and graduated from the doctoral program in August 2024.

In 2022-2023, Kenny instructed several classes in LSU's Department of Geography & Anthropology. In 2023-2024, he spent the year teaching in Osaka as part of the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program (JET).

Aja (BIS, LSU, 2022) is an anthropological archaeologist and textile specialist with interests in archaeology, visual arts, material culture, gender, food, and museum studies. As an undergraduate, they studied anthropology, art history, and chemistry. Aja joined the MA program in August 2022 following a summer internship with LSU's Coastal Sustainability Studio. In May 2023, they participated in the Penn Museum’s intensive summer course on Andean textile studies. In July 2023, Aja participated in the Galway Archaeological Field School in Ireland.

For their MA research, under the supervision of a committee composed of David Chicoine, Michael Mamp, Allison Young and Marianna Luquette, Aja analyzed and discussed textile objects as part of a thesis entitled "If Threads Could Talk: Listening to Andean Textiles at the Louisiana State University Museum of Art." In April 2024, they presented the results of her thesis research at the 89th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in New Orleans.

Aja graduated in May 2024 and was subsequently hired by Goodwin & Associates in New Orleans where they currently work as an archaeological technician.

Itzamara (BA in Anthropology, UCSB, 2020) is an anthropological archaeologist with interests in bioarchaeology, households, and material culture, as well as field experience in the US and Peru. She joined our MA program in August 2021, and in January 2022 helped in founding the LSU Latinx Graduate Student Association.

Itzamara participated in the 2022 season of excavations at Cerro San Isidro. In May 2023, she assisted assisted in excavations at Kisatchie National Forest as part of an archaeology field school organized by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in collaboration with the Louisiana Public Archaeology Lab.

For her MA research, under the supervision of a committee composed of David Chicoine, Helena Fietz and Matthew Helmer, Itzamara analyzed and interpreted excavation data from the 2022 field season at Cerro San Isidro and wrote "The Ancient Occupation of the East Terrace at Cerro San Isidro, Moro District, Nepeña Valley, Peru." In April 2024, she presented the results of her thesis research at the 89th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in New Orleans.

Itzamara graduated in May 2024 and is currently working as a Project Archaeologist for Atlas. 

Madeline (BA in Anthropology, LSU, 2021) is an anthropologist interested in archaeology, visual arts, museology, and material culture. She joined the MA program in August 2021 and in 2022 participated in the second season of excavations at Cerro San Isidro. Madeline graduated from the MA program in anthropology in December 2023.

For her thesis, under the supervision of David Chicoine, Sarah Franzen, and Matthew Helmer, Madeline researched the South American collections housed at the LSU Museum of Natural Science focusing on featherworks collected by ornitologist John P. O'Neill. In April 2024, she presented the results of her thesis research at the 89th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in New Orleans.

Monica (BA in Anthropology, U of Pennsylvania, 2015) is an anthropological archaeologist with interests in visual arts, zooarchaeology, museum studies, gender, cultural heritage, and science education. She participated in the 2019 season of the Cerro San Isidro project and reported the preliminary zooarchaeological results in her thesis on "What the Shell? The Zooarchaeology of Cerro San Isidro, Peru." Her thesis was supervised by a committee composed of David Chicoine, Rebecca Saunders, and Mary Jill Brody.

Monical also presented results of her thesis research at the 6th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Amazonian & Andean Studies held at the University of Alabama in 2019, as well as at the 86th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology online in 2021.

Monica has also contributed to the edited volume "Pre-Columbian Central America, Colombia, and Ecuador: Toward an Integrated Approach" (C. McEwan and J. Hoopes (eds), Dumbarton Oaks + Harvard U Press, 2021) based on research at the Penn Museum.

Monica currently works as a field archaeologist for R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates in the Baltimore area.

Elizabeth (BA in Archaeology, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, 2008, Licenciatura in Archaeology, 2011, MS in Archaeology and Certificate in Museum Studies, U of Memphis, 2016) is a Peruvian archaeologist and cultural heritage specialist studying the development of complex societies in the Central Andes. She is interested in the entanglements between material culture, cultural heritage preservation, and community outreach. At LSU, Elizabeth wrote a dissertation on the "The Ancient Occupation of Nivín, Casma, Peru: Co-Creating Heritage in Andean Archaeology." Her dissertation was supervised by a committee composed of David Chicoine, Mary Jill Brody, Véronique Bélisle, and Serri Franks Johnson (Dean's Rep).

Elizabeth was awarded the Dissertation Year Fellowship from the Graduate School (2020-2021) and her dissertation won the  Josephine A. Roberts LSU Alumni Association Distinguished Dissertation Award (social sciences and humanities category).

Elizabeth presented her research at multiple academic conferences and invited talks, and received several internal and external grants. She served as a Faculty Liaison of the Geography and Anthropology Society, as a Treasurer of Lambda Alpha Honors Society, and organized World Anthropology Day. Elizabeth's work has so far been published in The SAA Archaeological Record, SAA Advances in Archaeological Practice, and several of edited volumes.

Elizabeth is currently working at SUNY Oneonta where she is the Faculty-Led Programs Abroad Coordinator in the Office of Global Education and adjunct instructor in the Department of Anthropology.

Jacob is a geoarchaeologist and paleoclimatologist specializing in human-environmental relations, especially the geochemistry of marine bivalves. Before joining our graduate program, Jacob completed a BA in Anthropology at LSU. In 2010, he participated in the archaeology fieldschool at Caylán where he gained first-hand experience in excavation techniques and developed a passion for Andean prehistory. He went on to complete a MA thesis analyzing “Production, Discard, and Urban Life at the Early Horizon Center of Caylán, Coastal Peru,” and a PhD dissertation "Reconstructing the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in Northern Peru: Perspectives from Donax Obesulus Geochemistry and Archaeomalacology." His dissertation work was realized under the supervision of committee composed of Kristine DeLong, David Chicoine, Rebecca Saunders, and Maribel Dietz (Dean's Rep).

Jacob presented his work at several conferences over the years including the AGU, AAG, SAA, and AAA meetings. In 2019, he won the Society for American Archaeology’s Douglas C. Kellogg Fellowship for Geoarchaeological Research. Jacob has published his research in the Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology and Chemical Geology.

Following graduation, Jacob was hired as a postdoctoral researcher in the Schubert Lab at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. He subsequently secured a tenure-track position at SUNY Oneonta, where he is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography & Environmental Sustainability.

Audrey (BA in Anthropology, BA in History, U of Alabama, 2018) joined our team at Cerro San Isidro in 2019 as field and laboratory assistant. For her MA thesis, defended in February 2020, Audrey followed her interests in mortuary archaeology and children, and researched “Moche Juvenile Burial Patterns” based on published and gray literature. Her thesis work was supervised by a committee composed of David Chicoine, Rebecca Saunders, and Teresa Wilson. In October 2019, she presented the results of her thesis research at the 6th Biennial Meeting of the Society for Amazonian & Andean Studies held in Tuscaloosa.

Olivia is an archaeologist with interests in material culture, visual arts, gender, digitizing methods, and the Middle Ages.  As an undergraduate student in anthropology and art history at LSU, she worked on creating 3D models and reconstructions of architectural settings based on spatial data recovered at Caylán. Following her graduation from LSU in 2019, she went on to complete a MA in Archaeology at Newcastle University in the UK researching "Heirlooms and Amulets: The Social Significance of Bracteates in Early Anglo-Saxon England" under the supervision of Dr. James Gerrard.

Olivia worked as an assistant project manager II for R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates and as of Fall 2022 returned to Newcastle to pursue a doctorate and further explore her passion for Medieval archaeology. She is currently a PhD Student and Iland Scholar in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at Newcastle University.

While completing her undergraduate degree in anthropology and international studies at LSU, Ashleigh trained in SketchUp Pro and worked on a series of 3D architectural reconstructions. She enrolled in the Honors thesis option, researched ancient Andean architecture, and wrote on "The Social Logic of Space in Early Horizon Peru: 3D Reconstructions of Residential Compounds at Caylán, Nepeña Valley." After graduating from LSU, Ashleigh went on to pursue a Master of Education at the University of West Florida where she graduated in 2021.

Following her graduation in 2021, Ashleigh worked as International Coordinator for Northeastern University. In August 2022 she joined the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as Public Health Analyst. 

Sally completed her BA in Anthropology at LSU in 2018. In addition to taking several archaeology classes, she familiarized herself with 3D modeling and SketchUp Pro, and worked on series of architectural reconstructions and animations using pedestrian field data and drawings from Caylán in Peru.

Upon graduating, Sally was hired as an archaeologist by SURA and has recently moved into a new position with SWCA at their Baton Rouge office.

Kimberly (BA in Anthropology, BA in Religious Studies, Florida State U, 2007, MS in GIS, Florida State U, 2009) is an archaeologist and mapping scientist who joined the LSU doctoral program in 2012 as a Huel D. Perkins Fellow. Building on her extensive field experience in the Peruvian Andes, Kimberly initiated an excavation project at the Cosma complex in the remote Cáceres District of the upper Nepeña Valley in the Cordillera Negra. With the financial support of the NSF, the National Geography Society, the Brennan Foundation, and the American Philophiscal Foundation, Kimberly's dissertation examined “Landscapes of Persistence and Ritual Architecture at the Cosma Complex, Upper Nepeña Valley, Peru.” Her dissertation was finalist for the LSU Alumni Association 2018 Distinguished Dissertation Award (social sciences and humanities category). Her work demonstrated the significance of Cosma’s initial founding as a major religious center from the Late Preceramic Period to today. Kimberly presented her findings at several conferences notably at the annual meetings of the SAA. She has published results of her doctoral work in the Actas del Congreso Nacional de Arqueología.

Kimberly is currently assistant professor of anthropology at New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico.

Shelly (BA in Spanish, Auburn U, 2012) is an archaeologist specializing in 3D imaging, GIS, and ceramic analysis. She joined our MA program in Anthropology in August 2014 and graduated in 2016. As part of her thesis work, Shelly traveled to the Sechin Museum in Casma, Peru, to analyze pottery fragments from the 2009 and 2010 excavations at Caylán. Shelly's thesis describes “Ceramic Technology, Production, and Exchange as Seen Through Macroscopic Analysis of Pottery Fragments from the Early Horizon Center Caylán, Nepeña Valley, Peru” and results of her work have been presented at the 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Orlando in 2016.

Jenna (BA in Archaeology, U of Calgary, 2008) completed her MA thesis on “Mortuary Practices and Social Identity at the Late Middle Sicán Matrix 101, Lambayeque Valley, Peru.” Her thesis examined the social identity of 172 sacrificed individuals from a mass grave in the Sicán Religious Precinct. Frequencies of skeletal pathologies, compared to a database of Sicán elites and Muchik commoners led her to discern the sacrificed individuals had a higher social status. In 2014, we collaborated in the survey and mapping of looted burial contexts at Caylán. The results of that research were presented at the 5th Meeting of the Southeast Society for Amazonian and Andean Studies in Jackson in 2015. She subsequently started a doctorate in anthropology at the University of Alabama investigating Casma-Chimú relations (~1100-1400 CE) based on excavations at the site of Pan de Azúcar in the Nepeña Valley.

Ashley (BA in English, Wake Forest U, 2012) started the MA program in Anthropology in 2013 and graduated in 2015. In 2014, she participated in the detailed mapping and spatial analysis of Caylán's stone buildings. Ashley used the architectural and spatial data to write a thesis on “Early Horizon Community Organization and Neighborhoods as Seen Through the Spatial Analysis of Residential Architecture at the Urban Center of Caylán, Peru.” She presented results of her work at the 80th Annual Meeting of the SAA in San Francisco and the 4th Meeting of the Society for Amazonian and Andean Studies in Baton Rouge in 2015, and the 82nd Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Vancouver in 2017. Her thesis work was adapted into a publication for the Archaeological Papers of the AAA.

Ashley is currently a PhD candidate in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Kentucky in Lexington under the supervision of Dr. Christopher Pool.

Steve Treloar (BA in Anthropology, Kansas State U, 2012) joined our survey team in Peru in 2013. That season, we mapped defensive systems in the lower Nepeña Valley as part of Steve's MA research on warfare during the first millennium BCE. Steve utilized handheld GPS units and GIS viewshed analyses to map fortifications and defensive structures at Caylán, Samanco, and Huambacho. His thesis unpacked “Early Horizon Defensive Structures and the Role of Warfare in the Lower Nepeña Valley, Peru.” Results of his research have been presented at several conferences including the 79th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Austin in 2014 and the 81st Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Orlando in 2016.

Steve is currently the Heritage Assistant Program Manager for the US Forest Service at Kisatchie National Forest. He was previously working the private sector where he led CRM projects in the renewable and non-renewable energy sectors across the SE US.

Caitlyn (BA in Anthropology, Texas State U, San Marcos, 2010) is a GIS specialist and archaeologist who completed her MA thesis in Andean archaeology in 2013. For her thesis research, Caitlyn traveled to Peru where she collected data on irrigation practices, water management, and the ancient occupation of Nepeña. Caitlyn's thesis explored “Emergent Irrigation Agriculture and Settlement Patterns in the Lower Nepeña Valley, North-Central Coast of Peru” and results of her research were incorporated in an article published in Americae .

Caitlyn currently works for the State of Washington as Director of Innovation for the Office of Equity.

Jessica joined our field team at Caylán as a field assistant. Based on excavations in 2009 and 2010, she completed her undergraduate thesis entitled "Excavaciones en el Conjunto E de Caylán, valle de Nepeña: espacio residencial de élite del Formativo Tardío y Final" under the supervision of Dr. Rafael Vega-Centeno at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru in Lima. Her work explored activity patterns and residential life at one of Caylán's many residential compounds. Results of her research were included in a co-authored chapter for Ancient Households on the North Coast of Peru edited by I. Johnson, D. Pacifico & R. Cutright (UPress Colorado, 2021).

Jessica currently works as an archaeologist for the Peruvian Ministry of Culture in Lima.

Kyle (BA in Anthropology, Northeastern Illinois U,  2008) is a archaeobotanist who joined the Caylán team as field assistant in 2009. In 2011, Kyle started the MA program in anthropology at LSU focusing on the analysis of soil samples recovered during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. In 2013, Kyle presented his thesis work at several conferences including the 78th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in Honolulu and the 112th Annual Meeting of the AAA in Chicago, and results of his analyses were published in Andean Past.

Kyle is currently teaching at Heartland Alliance in Chicago.

Beverly (BA in Anthropology, California State Polytechnic U-Pomona, 2008) joined the graduate program at LSU in 2010. In 2012, she completed a thesis exploring “Late Formative Plant Use and Diet at Caylán (Peru) as Seen Through the Analysis of Macrobotanical Remains and Human Feces.” Beverly's MA research was featured in articles published in Americae and Andean Past. Following graduation, Beverly worked as a collections manager at Chatsworth Plantation located in  Baton Rouge and later served as a collections and data manager for the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands program located at Fort Polk in Louisiana.

Beverly is currently holds a permanent position with the US Forest Service as associate archaeologist for the Sisters Ranger District in Oregon.

Emily (BA in Anthropology, UBC, 2009) joined our field crew at Caylán in 2010 as a bioarchaeologist and field/lab assistant. While in Nepeña, she analyzed skeletal remains from Moche phase grave contexts from the site of Huambacho excavated in 2004. Emily used the results of the skeletal analyses to write her MA thesis on"Demography, paleopathology, and health status of the Moche remains in Huambacho, Peru: a comprehensive osteological analysis" under the supervision of forensic anthropologist and G+A faculty Mary Manhein.

Emily is currently director of research and strategy at Silicon Valley Bank in Santa Clara, California.

Matt graduated with a BA in Anthropology from LSU before joining our team in Peru in 2009. While in the MA program between 2009 and 2011, he participated in excavations at Caylán and collected data from one of the plazas for his thesis “Social Life and Ancient Andean Public Landscapes: Actions and Performances as Seen Through the Use of a First Millennium BCE Plaza at Caylán, Peru.” Results of Matt's MA research were published in Ñawpa Pacha and Antiquity. Matt later pursued a doctorate at the University of East Anglia where he graduated in 2015 under the mentorship of Dr. George Lau. His dissertation explored the ancient seaside life at Samanco and results of his PhD research have been published in the Journal of Field Archaeology, the Journal of the Society of Bead Researchers, and Contributions in New World Archaeology.

Matt is currently Heritage Program Manager for the Kisatchie National Forest in Pineville, Louisiana. He is also adjunct assistant professor in LSU's G+A department.