
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 - On Leave AY 20-21
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
Interests: Archaeology, Columbian Exchange
- Arts & Letters, Room 486
- [email protected]

Dr. Arion T. Mayes
Associate Professor - On Leave Fall 2020
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. 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 & Graduate Advisor
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
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 (Fall 2020)
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-453
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
Featured Alumni
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