Director, Laboratory of Archaeology I serve as the Director of the Laboratory of Archaeology and Georgia Archaeological Site File and also facilitate the NAGPRA program. I specialize in historical archaeology, ethnohistory, landscape archaeology, archaeological collections and digital curation, and heritage preservation. I am an archaeologist whose research and professional practice examine the economic intersections and impact of colonialism upon landscapes and peoples. Specifically, I combine archaeological, historical, spatial, and digital approaches to investigate colonial and plantation landscapes and the relationships between people, environments, and economies. My current research includes projects on the Georgia Coast where I focus on dynamic economies that emerged as a result of colonialism and the establishment of the plantation system in the Southeast. In addition to traditional anthropological archaeology, my recent scholarship also examines the responsibilities of archaeological institutions toward the collections they steward and the ways engagement are reshaping curation and collections management practices. Across my work, I am interested in how archaeology produces, preserves, and interprets knowledge about the past but more specifically how institutional authority can be transformed through stewardship, collaboration, Indigenous knowledge, and descendant-community participation. Students interested in working with me are encouraged to reach out early to discuss their interests and potential opportunities. I am especially interested in mentoring students with backgrounds in curation and collections management, NAGPRA, historic archaeology, battlefield archaeology, plantation systems, and related areas. At the same time, I am open to working with students on a wide range of archaeological, museum, and heritage-related topics. Research Labs: Laboratory of Archaeology Selected Publications Selected Publications: Responding to the Digital Curation Crisis: Definitions and Recommendations for Cultural Heritage | Advances in Archaeological Practice | Cambridge Core The NAGPRA Nexus, Institutional Integrity, and the Evolving Role of Archaeological Laboratories | Advances in Archaeological Practice | Cambridge Core Long-Term Legacies and Their Challenges in the Age of Modern Curation at the University of Georgia | Advances in Archaeological Practice | Cambridge Core Incomplete Histories and Hidden Lives: The Case for Social Network Analysis Reconstructing the Layout of a coastal Georgia Plantation The initial spread of peaches across eastern North America was structured by Indigenous communities and ecologies | Nature Communications Evaluating Spanish Colonial Alternative Economies in the Archaeological Record | Historical Archaeology | Springer Nature Link Grants Grants: 2026 National Endowment for the Humanities, “Many Eyes on the Road to Revolution in Colonial Georgia,” Co-PI: Amanda Roberts Thompson, Co-PI: Carey Garland, $743,658 2026 US Department of Interior, “CESU Cataloging and Documenting NPS Museum Collections on Loan to the University of Georgia, Laboratory of Archaeology,” PI: Amanda Roberts Thompson, $40,000 2025 National Park Service, American Battlefield Grant, “Relocating Fort Henderson and the ‘Second Creek War’ Landscape of Southwestern Georgia and Southeastern Alabama,” PI: Victor Thompson, Co-PI: Amanda Roberts Thompson, Co-PI: Carey Garland 2022 Institute of Museum and Library Services, “Saving and Rehabilitating the Coastal Zone Collections of Georgia,” Co-PI: Amanda Roberts Thompson, Co-PI: Victor Thompson, $821,830 2021 National Park Service, Consultation Grant, “UGA Laboratory of Archaeology Consultation Grant,” Co-PI: Amanda Roberts Thompson, Co-PI: Victor Thompson, $79,843 2019 National Park Service, Consultation Grant, “UGA Laboratory of Archaeology Consultation Grant,” Co-PI: Amanda Roberts Thompson, Co-PI: Victor Thompson, $81,981 Education Education: Ph.D., Archaeology, University of York, 2020
