PhD Candidate in Archaeology, University of New Mexico
I am a PhD candidate in the Anthropology Department at the University of New Mexico, specializing in bioarchaeology and stable isotope analysis. My research focuses on reconstructing ancient human diets, health, nutrition, and environmental interactions in Mesoamerica, particularly in southern Belize. Since 2019, I have been a bioarchaeologist with the ROOTS project (formerly BPAAP) and with the Bladen Legacy project since its inception. In these roles, I use compound-specific isotope analysis and radiocarbon dating to investigate how humans adapted to and shaped their landscapes over an 11,000-year period. My work combines cutting-edge biochemical techniques with traditional archaeological methods to study the interplay between dietary strategies, social organization, and human health and nutrition.
Before pursuing my doctorate, I earned an MSc in Bioarchaeology in 2016, where I optimized ZooMS (Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry) for battlefield archaeology, helping locate missing graves from the War of the Roses. Today, I am particularly interested in the challenges of maize-dominant diets and the innovative strategies ancient societies employed to mitigate nutritional deficiencies. My ongoing research contributes to broader discussions about health, sustainability, resilience, and human-environment dynamics in the past and present.