I am currently ABD in a doctoral program at Boston University, working on my dissertation on archaeological approaches to determining health, hygiene and sanitation in past groups. I am working on six sites, both 18th- and 19th-century, in New England, and looking at the parasite and insect remains for evidence of health and sanitation levels on the sites. Artifacts, botanical remains, and faunal remains will be incorporated into my analysis as well as will evidence from the documentary record. Although my dissertation focuses on sites from the last 300 years, archaeoentomological and archaeoparasitological analyses are useful on sites of any age througout the world.

In addition to my doctoral work, I am taking classes in entomology from the University of Nebraska Lincoln in their M.S. program to better understand the role of insects in society as well as how parasites, insects, animals, and humans interact and affect each other over time. Medical and forensic entomology are particularly useful in these areas.