
People
Our department has eleven core faculty and a number of lecturers that cover the broad spectrum of anthropology. With a regional focus on the Pacific Rim, our anthropologists work locally here in San Diego and southern California, as well as internationally in Mexico (Baja California, Oaxaca, and Campeche), the Solomon Islands, and Indonesia.
Tenured & Tenure-Track Faculty

Dr. Todd Braje
Professor
Interests: Marine Historical Ecology; Coastal Archaeology
- Hardy Tower, Room 137
- [email protected]

Dr. Matthew Lauer
Professor
Interests: Environmental Anthropology
- Arts & Letters, Room 417
- [email protected]

Dr. Seth W. Mallios
Professor & Director, South Coastal Information Center
Interests: Historical Archaeology, Economic Anthropology
- Arts & Letters, Room 472
- (619) 594-4748
- [email protected]

Dr. Nicole Mathwich
Assistant Professor & Graduate Advisor
Interests: Archaeology, Columbian Exchange
- Arts & Letters, Room 486
- [email protected]

Dr. Arion T. Mayes
Associate Professor
Interests: Bioarchaeology, Dental Anthropology
- Arts & Letters, Room 413
- (619) 594-4708
- [email protected]

Dr. Vijayanka Nair
Assistant Professor
Interests: Sociocultural Anthropology, South Asia
- Arts & Letters, Room 476
- [email protected]

Dr. Oliver Paine
Assistant Professor
Interests: Paleoanthropology, early hominin feeding ecology
- Arts & Letters, Room 459
- [email protected]

Dr. Ramona L. Pérez
Professor & Director, Center for Latin American Studies
Interests: Food and Nutrition, Migration and Identity
- Arts & Letters, Room 377
- (619) 594-1155
- [email protected]

Dr. Erin P. Riley
Professor & Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies
Interests: Ethnoprimatology, Environmental Anthropology
- Arts & Letters, Room 457
- [email protected]

Dr. Erika Robb Larkins
Associate Professor & Director Center for Brazilian Studies
Interests: Violence and inequality in urban settings, Brazil
- Arts & Letters, Room 626
- (619) 594-5028
- [email protected]

Dr. Casey Roulette
Associate Professor
Interests: Evolutionary Anthropology; Human Biology
- Arts & Letters, Room 484
- [email protected]

Dr. Elisa Sobo
Professor, Department Chair, & Director of CAL Undergraduate Research
Interests: Medical Anthropology, Anthropology of Childhood
- Arts & Letters, Room 448A
- (619) 594-6501
- [email protected]

Dr. Isaac Ullah
Associate Professor & Undergraduate Advisor
Interests: Computational Archaeology, Social-Ecological Systems
- Arts & Letters, Room 480
Lecturers & Associated Faculty
Trudi Andres
Office: AL-459
Email: [email protected]
Shannon B. Black
Office: SH 231
Email: [email protected]
Cheryl Hinton
Office: AL-478
Email: [email protected]

Office: AL-331B
Phone: (619) 594-6991
Email: [email protected]
Jocelyn Killmer, Ph.D.
Office: AL-467
Email: [email protected]
Sam D. Kobari
Office: AL-474
Email: [email protected]
Jaime Lennox
Office: AL-482
Phone: (619) 594-4575
Email: [email protected]
Savanna Schuermann
Office: AL-478
Email: [email protected]
Staff
Iris Isla
Administrative Coordinator
Office: AL-448
Phone: (619) 594-8450
Email: [email protected]
Featured Students
Looking into the eyes of a wild primate is something that sends chills down your spine, making you really question what makes us humans so different. Studying our closest living relatives is something that has fascinated me since childhood, and I have been privileged enough to be able to pursue it as a career via my studies here at SDSU. After graduating with my BSc in Biology, I had the chance to work as a research assistant with wild Bornean orangutans in Indonesia, and lowland gorillas in Gabon. These experiences not only introduced me to the world of primatology - they opened my eyes to understanding that primatology is much more than following monkeys and apes around the forest. Primatology provides a key to understanding ourselves. Studying nonhuman primates - from their highly complex social lives to their immense behavioral diversity - is enthralling, but what makes it particularly special from an anthropological perspective is how we can use this knowledge to help understand humans in both the past and the present. Through my anthropological training at SDSU, I aim to produce research that considers the human-nonhuman primate interface in support of the development of conservation strategies that ensure that the needs of both are met.
As an undergraduate, I chose anthropology because of my interest in people and how they lived in the past; essentially, I really just wanted to dig up old stuff! As I have progressed through my academic career however, I have been able to understand so much more of the underlying causes behind the material culture that people leave behind. My passion has become understanding identities through historical documents and artifact assemblages to not only get to the center of what people use and why, but also the nuances of relationships and negotiations within society. I have been lucky enough to purse this interest through both public archaeology and within the greater archaeological community through conferences, presentations, and a museum exhibit. I plan on furthering my career through a doctoral program and look forward to sharing my love of archaeology and anthropology to future generations of students as a professor.
Featured Alumni
I graduated from SDSU in 1991 with a BS in Physics and a BA in Anthropology. Soon afterwards, I was lucky enough to secure an archaeological position with the Cultural Studies Program at Yosemite National Park. I was able to conduct archaeological surveys and excavations during the day and rock climb to my heart’s content in the evenings and on weekends. Wanting to pursue my education further, I attended UC Riverside for a Masters in Maya Archaeology in 1995. Fate took over here when I learned that the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) had several vacancies statewide for an archaeologist. I started my Caltrans career in Fresno and two years later transferred to San Diego, where I have worked ever since.
I am the Branch Chief of our District 11 Cultural Studies Office. I oversee and guide the work of archaeologists, architectural historians, and consultants. It’s our responsibility to help engineers maintain, improve, and expand our vital transportation network while at the same time ensuring Caltrans complies with Federal and State cultural resource regulations; most notably Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and California Public Resources Code 5024 but also the National Environmental Policy Act. For the latter, I coordinate with mayors, public works directors, engineers, politicians, environmental planners, lawyers, regulatory and resource agency staff, and consultant design engineers. I also oversee paleontology efforts on projects that impact the numerous fossil beds in San Diego and Imperial Counties in consultation with PaleoServices Department of the San Diego Natural History Museum.
I am always open to discussing careers with Caltrans, email me at [email protected] and I’ll respond promptly.
Jose Huizar earned his MA in 2015. He completed his thesis work in a rural community in Oaxaca, Mexico, where he worked alongside a community support group for elders who were left behind by migrant family members. In addition to his thesis work, he was part of a U.S.-Mexico graduate student research team that examined the process of deportation at shelters in Tijuana, Baja California. Jose also volunteered at a children’s after-school mentoring program in Oaxaca, Mexico, and at a center for unaccompanied immigrant children in San Diego, California. Jose continues to apply the anthropological training and education he received at SDSU in his career. Since leaving SDSU, Jose has continued working in his local community through an organization called Child Advocates of Placer County, which serves at-risk kids and families. As a Program Manager, he oversees the Youth Mentor, CASA, and K9s 4 Kids Programs, ensures the development and expansion of those programs, and collaborates with community partners. Jose is also responsible for the strategic planning and execution of services for those served by the programs.
My interest in other cultures led me into anthropology. In class, 16mm ethnographic films depicting !Kung (San) people from the Kalahari, the Dani of New Guinea, and other foreign cultures fascinated me. I wanted to make movies like those myself. To that end, I took several cinematography classes at SDSU, encouraged by Dr. Paul Ezell, then the Anthropology Department's chair.
In 1971 I went to Australia in pursuit of a Masters degree, hoping to work with and film Aboriginal people living on Central Australian Settlements. I landed a job as research officer for the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies and spent most of 1972 filming and collecting artifacts for museums and the Institute. I met and learned from Walbiri and Pintupi tribal members who graciously accommodated my wishes. I realized how rare this opportunity was and in 1976 I fulfilled requirements for a Masters via a 16mm film of sacred ceremonies ("Dingari Ceremonies at Papunya") and a written thesis.
The celebrated Pintupi dot-art painting movement began during my stint and recently several Australian anthropologists have requested, and been authorized, to use of my film materials in their books and research. This has been a satisfying development after so many years--and it all began at SDSU.
Molly Sirota currently leads a team of Game User Researchers at PlayStation’s San Diego design studio. Her team’s primary job is to research how gamers understand, interpret and interact with the world around them. Such information is then leveraged by video game designers to create innovative gaming experiences that stand out in a highly competitive market. Molly’s background in anthropology has provided her with the unique research skills needed to not only identify the core values driving a community towards or away from specific experiences, but to argue on behalf of the community when change is needed. Since graduating from SDSU’s Anthropology department in 2006, Molly has consulted in the educational, medical, automotive, financial and gaming world. But regardless of industry, the objective has always remained the same: identify the key needs of a community and work with companies, clients and teams to deliver on those needs.
Emeritus Faculty
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Adjunct Faculty