He received his B.S. and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. He is an anthropological archaeologist who studies Pre-Columbian Mesoamerican societies in an effort to understand the origins of social complexity. His research focuses on the emergence of complexity as it relates to community ritual, social inequality, craft specialization and long distance exchange. He specializes in the study of the ancient Maya with an emphasis on ceramic analysis. He is interested in how ceramic technology, the organization of production systems, and exchange of ceramic vessels contributed to the growth of social complexity. His research is important to scholars who study prehistoric complex societies and who are trying to understand how technology and production contribute to changes in social structure.