About Me

Photo: Me emerging from the forest on the Sunshine Coast of BC, unintentionally looking cool while trying to get my boot out of the vine it was trapped in. Photo taken by Kenzie.

If you’re going to be checking out this website, I figure you should probably know a little bit about me. And I’m going to list it in point form because why not?

Me:

• My archaeological background is in bioarchaeology, meaning I’m an archaeologist with special skills and knowledge in the analysis of human skeletal remains
• My current research looks at how pseudoarchaeology (conspiracy theories using archaeology to re-tell human history) is used in conspiritual ideologies (ideologies that blend New Age spirituality and conspiracy theories)
• I’m a First Generation (FirstGen) university student!
• I’m from Steveston, B.C., which is just outside of Vancouver (For those Once Upon A Time fans out there, Steveston = Storybrooke)
• I currently live in British Columbia
• I have loved sharks since I was little and know a lot about them, which leads me to

  

  being very interested in conservation efforts to protect sharks around the world! I encourage everyone to look into how they can become involved in local or international shark conservation efforts!

• I am totally in love with B-horror movies and novels
• I was once asked by a Canadian mystery author to assist with his research into forensic anthropology for a novel he was writing (“The Same River Twice” by Stephen Legault, published October, 2015). Yup, you’ll see my name in the acknowledgments

My Education:

• Kwantlen Polytechnic University (2004 – 2007) – Associate of Arts, Criminology
• University of British Columbia (2007 – 2009, transferred)
• University of Alberta (2009 – 2012) – Bachelor of Arts, Anthropology and Native Studies
• University of Toronto (2016-2017) – Master of Arts, Anthropology
  • Thesis – “The Glass Beads of Sexwamin”
• University of Alberta (2020 – current) – Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD)
  • Research topics include: Brother XII, Pseudoarchaeology, Conspirituality

Awards:

• 2022 – 2023: Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship
• 2021 – 2022: Alberta Graduate Excellence Scholarship

My Work:

• 2020 – Current, Graduate Research Assistant, University of Alberta
• 2022, 2023 – (July, Volunteer), excavation assistant for Solene Mallet Gauthier’s PhD fieldwork in Saskatchewan
• 2022 – Teaching Assistant (Intro to Anthropology), University of Alberta
• 2018 – 2020, Archaeologist/Bioarchaeologist (BC)
• 2017 – (Volunteer) Collections Technician, Canadian Museum of Nature
• 2017 – 2018 – Archaeologist/Bioarchaeologist (ON)
• 2017 – Teaching Assistant (Intro Biological Anthropology/Archaeology), University of Toronto: Mississagua
• 2015 – 2017 – Archaeologist/Bioarchaeologist/field school supervisor, shishalh Archaeological Research Project
• 2015 – 2017 – (Volunteer), Let’s Talk Science
• 2015 – 2016 – Archaeologist/Bioarchaeologist, (ON)
• 2013 – 2015, 2019 – Archaeologist/Bioarchaeologist (BC)
• 2011 – 2013 – Archaeologist/Bioarchaeologist (AB)
• 2010 – (Young Canada Works) Collections Technician, Steveston Museum
• 2009 – 2010 – (Volunteer) Collections Technician, Physical Anthropology Laboratory, University of Alberta
• 2009 – 2010 – (Volunteer) Collections Technician, Dr. Pamela Willoughby’s palaeoanthropological laboratory, University of Alberta
• 2008 – (Young Canada Works) Collections Technician, Richmond Museum
• 2008 – (Field School) – excavation of a Roman necropolis, Menorca, Spain
• 2007 – 2009 – Research Assistant, Laboratory of Archaeology, University of British Columbia
• 2007 – (Volunteer) Transcriber, Yuille Forensic Psychology Laboratory, University of British Columbia

And between/during all of these archaeology-related jobs, I spent 9 years working in retail (from 2004 – 2013). I had to pay for school somehow!

If you want to learn more about my research, check out my Conferences/Publications/Presentations page!