Biography
I am an anthropological archaeologist with a particular interest in methods. My current reseach focuses on collaborative and community-led research projects in Ontario, focussing mainly on the Huron Wendat past. I have active research projects with a number of excellent collaborators on zooarchaeology, archaeological survey, glass bead chemistry, and Wendat ceramic technology.
During my graduate training I undertook fieldwork in Egypt, Syria, and Ghana. The Aterian, a Middle Stone Age technocomplex of northern Africa was the subject of my doctoral dissertation. I was particularly interested in determining if it is possible to examine questions such as the nature of the origin of modern human behavior from artifact samples that come from what would normally be considered poor contexts.
Education
- BA Anthropology, University of Toronto 1991
- MA Anthropology, University of Toronto 1993
- PhD Anthropology, University of Toronto 2001
Academic Appointments
Archaeology Program Co-ordinator
Cross-appointed to the Department of Forensic Sciences
Adjunct professor in Anthropology, Western University
On The Web
Research
My current research projects include: 1) examination of survey methods and factors that contribute to variation in how archaeologists perceive artifacts (with Banning and Stewart), 2) the nature of the faunal resources harnessed by Iroquoian migrants into Simcoe County, 3) the chemistry of glass trade beads of the seventeenth century, and 4) changes in the relationship between people and their environment in Simcoe County between 1450 CE and 1650 CE.
Awards
- 2017 SSHRC IDG - Trade and Diplomacy: An examination of Huron Wendat Relationships Uisng Oral Traditions and Archaeometry
- President, Ontario Archaeological Society (2018-2019)
- 2015 SSHRC Connections Grant - Circles of Interaction: The Wendat and their Neighbours in the Time of Champlain
- President Elect, Ontario Archaeological Society 2017
- Vice President, Canadian Archaeological Association 2010-12
- Board Member, Ontario Archaeological Society 2005-09
Teaching
2020-21
ARCL 1006 - Introduction to Archaeology and Physical Anthropology (Fall 2020)
ARCL 2017 - Human Evolution and Palaeolithic Archaeology (Fall 2020)
ARCL 2116 - Archaeology and the Environment (Winter 2021)
ARCL 4206 - The Archaeology of Death and Burial (Winter 2021)
ARCL 3095 - Archaeology Field School (Summer 2021, subject to change)
Publications
Multiple President's Messages in ArchNotes 2018-2019 dealing with issues in Ontario archaeology. They can be found at https://www.ontarioarchaeology.org
Deforestation caused abrupt shift in Great Lakes nitrogen cycle
Sampling and Subsampling at the Allandale Site: An Evaluation of the Standards of Practice of Zooarchaeology in Compliance Archaeology in Ontario (Canadian Journal of Archaeology)
Huron-Wendat Archaeological Heritage: Building Relationships Towards Collaboration
Minimally Invasive Research Strategies in Huron-Wendat Archaeology: Working Toward a Sustainable Archaeology
Sweep widths and the detection of artifacts in archaeological survey.
New Age constraints on the MSA occupations of Kharga Oasis, Western Desert, Egypt.
Recreating home? A consideration of refugees, microstyles and frilled pottery in Huronia.