Education:
2005 – 2009 Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
PH. D. in Anthropology
1997 – 2002 Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
M. A. in Anthropology
1990 – 1994 Park College, Parkville, MO
B. A. in Political Science
Academic Positions:
2017 – ongoing Associate Professor of Maritime Archaeology at the University of Connecticut
2011-2017 Assistant Professor of Maritime Archaeology at the University of Connecticut
June 2009- to June 2011 Documentation Specialist at Vasa Museum, National Maritime Museums of Sweden
Professional Experience and Research:
2022 – 2024 Principal Investigator of underwater archaeological research of the sunken ship “Urdoviza” near Kiten.
2017 – 2019 Co-Principal Investigator Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project. Test excavation of a prehistoric settlement, in the mouth of the Ropotamo River, Bulgaria.
2015 – Co- Principal Investigator Black Sea Maritime Archaeology Project Archaeological investigation aiming to determine to the paleoshoreline of the Black Sea, the changing sea levels and human reaction and adaptation to these changes including through seafaring activity: the largest maritime archaeology project ever undertaken.
2012 – 2016 Project Director and Principal Investigator Rockley Bay Research Project, Tobago, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. Archaeological investigation of a 17th century naval battle between a Dutch and French squadrons.
2009 – continuing Analysis of the construction and documentation of Vasa, a 17th-century Dutch-built man-of-war. A major component of the project was to devise and implemented a non-destructive recording methodology for the framing of a 98% intact wooden ship that would permit structural and design analysis.
2000 – 2003 Project Director and Principal Investigator INA Black Sea Shipwreck Excavation, Bulgaria
Directed the complete excavation of a postmedieval merchantman off Bulgaria’s coast. Devised and implemented a recording strategy to enable hull design and reconstruction analysis. Taught Bulgarian, Macedonian and American students underwater excavation and recording field-techniques.
Participation in other projects:
July 2011 Archaeological Advisor, Warwick Excavation, Bermuda National Museum Institute of Nautical Archaeology excavation of a 17th century English ship, lost in Castle Harbour, Bermuda.
July-August 2010 Senior Archaeologist/Assistant Project Director at Bajo de Campana, Spain. Institute of Nautical Archaeology excavation of a 7th –century BC Phoenician shipwreck, off Isla Grossa, Murcia (Spain), undertaken in collaboration with the National Museum of Maritime Archaeology in Cartagena, an agency of the Spanish Ministry of Culture.
May-June 2005-08 Archaeologist, Red River Project
Institute of Nautical Archaeology – Oklahoma Historical Society excavation of the steamboat Heroine. Assisted with student training in recording techniques. Hull mapping and recording. In charge of producing working drawings for modeling the midship section in 1:10 scale.
June – August 1999 Archaeologist
Tektaş Burnu Shipwreck Excavation, Turkey. Supervised and trained new archaeological divers. Worked on clearing amphorae and concretions for raising. Mapping.
Summer 1998 Archaeologist Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, Vermont.
September 1997 to January 2000 – Research Assistant Texas A&M University, Nautical Archaeology Program