Assistant Research Scientist Compliance Bioarchaeologist and Research Archaeologist I am a Compliance Bioarchaeologist and Research Archaeologist at the Laboratory of Archaeology, with a background in both biological anthropology and archaeology. Broadly, my research addresses larger questions regarding adaptation and human-environmental interactions in coastal settings. My primary archaeological research uses mollusk shell geochemistry to reconstruct paleoenvironmental conditions and Native American socio-ecological systems, including examining how past Native American communities sustainably harvested and managed oyster reefs and coastal fisheries along the South Atlantic Coast of the Unite States. In addition to research, I direct UGA's summer archaeological field school: Enfulletv Mocvse (Muskogean for new ways of doing) in Archaeology Field School. This is a collaborative field school that has take place at many locations across Georgia, including Ossabaw Island, Brown's Mount, and most recently at the Wormsloe State Historic Site and Plantation in Savannah, GA, and has led to many research and field opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. As a Compliance Bioarchaeologist for the Laboratory of Archaeology and the university-wide NAGPRA program in which I assist in identifying NAGPRA-related collections, consult with our Tribal partners, and work towards repatriating Ancestors and objects currently under our care. Using NAGPRA as a jumping board towards more ethical practices, my work also focuses on how ethical and collaborative field archaeology can extend into collection care and management. If you are interested in working with me, please reach out to discuss research ideas and potentials, and send along a CV and brief summary of your research interests. I am specifically interested in mentoring students interested in shell geochemistry, human-environmental interactions in coastal settings, and ethical and collaborative archaeology, as well as broader research projects that could tie into our yearly field school, which cross-cuts multiple time periods and cultural contexts. Field School Link: https://dfs.uga.edu/_portal/tds-program-brochure?programid=13985 NAGPRA website: https://research.uga.edu/integrity-nagpra/ Selected Publications Selected Publications: Victor D. Thompson, Mark Williams, Greg Luna Goya, and Garland CJ. 2026. Foregrounding Town Histories Beyond the Soto Event in Ichisi (9BI2, Lamar) and the Ocmulgee River Basin, Georgia. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology Victor D. Thompson, Jennifer Birch, Raelynn Butler, Alex Cherkinsky, Garland CJ, Greg Luna Goya, Carla Hadden, Turner Hunt, LeeAnn Wendt, Mark Williams. 2026. Collaborative Archaeology, Public Parks, and the Importance of Chronology at Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park. American Antiquity Garland CJ, Arbolino R, Nielsen-Grimm G, Briece Edwards Yann J, Sieg L, Covell-Murthy A, Alapisco DM. 2025. Considerations for developing collaborative policies on NAGPRA, repatriation, and the care of Ancestors and cultural items. Advances in Archaeological Practice Garland CJ, Thompson VD, Gragson T, Demyan M, Parbus B, Howland, M. Andrus CFT. 2025. New evidence from the Hokfv-Mocvse Shell Ring (5000-4800 cal. BP) on the emergence of preceramic sedentary villages on South Atlantic Coast of Georgia. American Antiquity, 90(1):70-89. 6 Victor D. Thompson, Matthew Sanger, Karen Y. Smith, Garland CJ, Matthew Howland, C. Fred T. Andrus, Sharyn Jones, Tom Maddox, Yi-Ting Deng, David Hurst Thomas 2024. Shellfishing, Sea Levels, and the Earliest Native American Villages (5000–3800 yrs. BP) of the South Atlantic Coast of the U.S. Nature Scientific Reports Garland CJ, Thompson VDT, Birch J, Parbus B, Chapman J, Auerbach C, Strawn J, Love S. 2024. Placing radiocarbon dating at the center of collective archaeological practice. Southeastern Archaeology. Thompson VD, Smith KY, Sanger MC, Garland CJ, Napora KG, Bedel J, Tucker B, Hadden CS, Cherkinsky A, Jones S. 2024. The Dynamics of Fishing Villages along the South Atlantic Coast (ca. 5000 to 3000 years BP). Nature Scientific Reports. Roberts Thompson A, Thompson VD, Garland CJ, Butler RA, deBeaubien D, Panther M, Hunt T, Wendt LA, Spain E, Fontenot R, Langley L, Schenk K, Freeman MP, Auerbach C, Saunders C 2023. The NAGPRA Nexus and the Evolving Role of Archaeological Laboratories. Advances in Archaeological Practice Garland CJ, Thompson VD. 2023. Collective action and shellfish harvesting practices among Late Archaic villagers of the South Atlantic Bight. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. Garland CJ, Thompson VD, Sanger MC, Smith KY, Andrus FT, Lawres NR, Napora KG, Meeks C, Compton JM, Jones S, Hadden CS, Cherkinsky A, Maddox T, Deng Y, Lulewicz IH, Parsons L. 2022. A Multi-proxy assessment of the impact of environmental instability for Late Holocene (4500 to 3800 BP) Native American villages of the Georgia coast. PLOS One. Grants Grants: 2026 National Endowment for the Humanities: Rediscovering Our Revolutionary Tradition Grant. “Waves of Georgia’s Revolution.” Consortium Grant, Awarded, $743,000, Co-PI. 2026 The Cultural Site of Brown’s Mount (9BI5) and its temporal and occupational place in the History of the Ocmulgee River Valley. University of Georgia, Faculty Seed Grant. $25,000, PI Education Education: Ph.D. Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA (2019)
