Research Summary

I am a cultural anthropologist whose research combines evolutionary, economic, and ecological approaches to human behavior and cognition. I employ mixed methods to investigate how kinship, social networks, spatial proximity, and reputations affect cooperation, conflict, and the use of natural resources. Currently, I perform research in rural ranching communities in Baja California Sur, Mexico. I previously worked in a horticultural, Afro-Caribbean village on the Commonwealth of Dominica.

Education

  • Dual BA, Anthropology & History, University of Pittsburgh
  • M.A., Museum Science, Texas Tech University. Project: A Contextual and Preventative Conservation Approach to Museum Education Collections
  • Ph.D., Anthropology, Washington State University. Project: The Logic of Labor Exchange in a Dominican Village: Competitive Altruism, Biological Markets, and the Nexus of Male Social Relationships
  • Postdoctoral Fellow of Evolutionary Anthropology, Anthropology, University of Missouri