Research description: I am a biological anthropologist. My goal in bioarchaeology is to take a very integrative and biocultural approach to understanding humans through biological, cultural, and archaeological perspectives. The primary objective of my research is to use human skeletal remains to interpret the impact of violence and inequality on individuals and groups but I am also very interested in the use or avoidance of violence as a behavioral strategy. I use the physical body to tell the story of people in the past. I am currently the project bioarchaeologist for an excavation project on the southern periphery of the Gila National Forest in the Mimbres Valley of southwest New Mexico. My dissertation research and ongoing projects reconstruct health and the incidence of violence among prehistoric Mimbres and Mogollon populations. I finished my PhD and MA degrees in bioarchaeology at UNLV in 2015 and 2010 (respectively).
My MA research focused on a commingled skeletal collection from the Bronze Age site of Tell Abraq (in the UAE). Specifically, I examined the subadult population and the high prevalence of sick infants and young children. My research also incorporated a great amount of cultural comparative data, specifically that of marriage and other cultural practices of peoples of the Arabian peninsula.
Beyond bioarchaeology, I also have great interest in forensic anthropology and had the opportunity to consult for the Clark County Coroner's office in Las Vegas, NV until 2016. I was fortunate to be selected as a Visiting Scientist for the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's Forensic Anthropology Unit in November of 2012. I also assisted with cases in Minnesota prior to beginning my graduate work. I am currently in upstate New York and available for consultation in the Albany region upon request.
I am currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.