My primary research interest is geoarchaeology, especially studies involving sediments found within archaeological sites and archaeological stratigraphy. My work also emphasizes coastal adaptations of prehistoric peoples, specializing in the Northwest Coast. I received my M.A and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, and was hired at UW in 1980. I was Curator of Archaeology at the Burke Museum from 1990 to 1999. In 1999 I was Divisional Dean of Research in the College of Arts and Sciences, and enjoyed learning the perils and pleasures of administration. In 2005 I accepted the Directorship at the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, an institution dedicated to our natural environment, the people who have lived within it, and the future of both. This administrative opportunity has necessitated discontinuing my teaching of archaeology, and advising graduate students. During this time I remain a Professor in the Department of Anthropology and continue to research and give talks about geoarchaeology, shell middens, Northwest Coast archaeology, and issues about Natural History museums and construction of the New Burke.