Researching ancient landscapes through geospatial science
My research examines how ancient communities engineered, inhabited, and transformed tropical landscapes over time. I integrate lidar, drone mapping, GIS, 3D modeling, excavation, coring, soils, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and digital heritage to reconstruct long-term human–environment interaction in the Maya lowlands.
My current work focuses on ancient Maya landscapes in Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras, including civic construction, water management, wetlands, settlement patterns, lidar-based archaeological prospection, and environmental traces of long-term land use. I am especially interested in how computational and geospatial methods can make archaeological and environmental records more accessible for research, teaching, conservation, and public engagement.
My future research program is organized through the CAVE Lab — Computational Archaeology and Visualized Environments — which connects field-based archaeology, geospatial science, environmental analysis, student training, and immersive digital visualization.
Ancient Engineered Landscapes
Reservoirs, canals, terraces, civic spaces, modified terrain, and settlement systems.
Environmental Legacies
Wetlands, lake cores, soils, vegetation, fire histories, and long-term landscape change.
Digital Geospatial Heritage
LiDAR, drones, TLS, 3D modeling, VR, 3D printing, StoryMaps, and digital twins.