I have been a student of Archaeology since 1989 and a director of Palaeolithic archaeological excavations in Eurasia since 1995. My knowledge of Palaeolithic Archaeology has been gained through study and research at the University of Connecticut, the Forschungsinstitut für Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Neuwied, Germany, the Institute für Ur- und Frühgeschichte at the Universität Tübingen, Germany, and Harvard University. Experiences at these institutions fostered my interests in Neanderthal behavioral ecology, lithic technology, zooarchaeology, chronometric dating, Neanderthal-modern human interactions, and the factors contributing to the demise of the Neanderthals.
Since 1991 I have conducted excavations and analyses in Europe, the Middle East, and the Caucasus, and for the last decade I have co-directed three interdisciplinary archaeological excavations in the Georgian Republic: Akhalkalaki, Ortvale Klde, and Mashavera Gorge Palaeolithic Project. Each project has had as one if its main goals the documentation and dating of Middle and Upper Palaeolithic occupations in the southern Caucasus.
In August 2005 I joined the Old World Archaeology Program in the Department of Anthropology at the University Connecticut as an Assistant Professor. Since my arrival I have established the Palaeolithic Studies Lab to complement preexisting labs dedicated to human osteology, zooarchaeology, and lithic technology. My focus on European Prehistory compliments the Old World Archaeology Program's traditional strengths in African and Near Eastern Prehistory. We are currently seeking new graduate students with excellent academic records and a keen interest in Palaeolithic and Stone Age Archaeology.