Matthew Des Lauriers

In addition to having conducted ground-breaking research on the archaeology of Isla Cedros, Baja California.  His first book, Island of Fogs (2010), based on that research, won the prestigious Book of the Year award from the Society for American Archaeology.  His research focuses geographically on the archaeology of Western North America, especially its desert regions; thematically he works on issues of hunting and gathering populations, migration, human ecology, ancient technologies, and traditional knowledge systems.  Prior to joining the faculty at CSUSB, Dr. Des Lauriers was part of the CSU, Northridge faculty in Anthropology for 15 years.  Further strengthening the graduate program in Applied Archaeology, getting students involved in research, and enhancing the community outreach of the program are all near-term goals for Dr. Des Lauriers at CSUSB.