Teaching, advising, and collaborative research are closely connected in my work. I collaborate with undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and visiting researchers on projects spanning Southwestern archaeology, archaeological networks, computational methods, digital archaeology, and research infrastructure development. Students and collaborators are active participants in research and frequently publish their work and contribute to collaborative conference presentations, digital projects, and peer-reviewed publications.
Current Students
Information for Students:
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Research Apprenticeships for ASU Students
Current BA/BS/MA/PhD as committee member:
Dean Blumenfeld (PhD)
Bronte Cunningham (PhD)
Julia Furlong (PhD)
Jennifer Minnish (PhD)
Ella Pinto (BA, senior honors thesis)
Alexandra Ptacek (PhD)
Amy Reith (PhD)
David Sandeford (PhD)
Ruben Cu:k Ba'ak
Graduate Student, SHESC; MA 2025
William Dundas
Graduate Teaching Assistant, SHESC
Emily Thurman
Graduate Teaching Assistant, SHESC; MA 2026
Zithlaly Vega
NSF Graduate Research Fellow
Caitlin Wichlacz
Graduate Research Assistant, CAS
Past Students and Post-Docs
MA/PhD Committees:
Adrian Chase, PhD ASU 2021
Ioana Dumitru, PhD Johns Hopkins 2019
Krista Eschbach, PhD ASU 2019
Carolyn Flower, MS ASU 2019
Mechell Frazier, MA ASU 2016
Nicolas Gauthier, PhD ASU 2019
Sarah Oas, PhD ASU 2019
Jonathan Paige, PhD ASU 2022
Anne Sherfield, MA ASU 2021
Andrea Torvinen, PhD ASU 2018
Andrew Upton, PhD Michigan State 2019
Kendall Baller
MA 2018
Robert Bischoff
PhD, 2025
Katherine Crawford
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2020–2022
Britt Davis
PhD 2026
Katherine Dungan
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2017–2020
Emily Fioccoprile
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2017–2018
Sarah Oas
Post-Doctoral Fellow 2019–2022
Kayla Powers
BA Honors 2025
Kathryn Young Seidemann
BA Honors 2024
Prospective Students, Post-Docs, and Visiting Researchers
I work with undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and research collaborators interested in archaeology, social networks, data science, and the long-term study of human societies. Much of my research is collaborative and team-based, and I am always interested in new collaborations. My research focuses on the archaeology of the U.S. Southwest and Northwest Mexico, archaeological network science, comparative social science, computational methods, data integration, and the development of large-scale research infrastructure. Current projects include exportations of social and economic networks, human migration and mobility, resilience and sustainability, community formation, digital archaeology, and large-scale data integration.
Research opportunities vary from year to year but often include:
- Archaeological field and survey projects
- Collections-based research
- GIS and spatial analysis
- Network methods and models
- Statistical and computational modeling
- Database development and data integration
- Digital archaeology and cyberinfrastructure
- Community-engaged and collaborative research with museums, tribal organizations, and heritage institutions
I view mentorship as one of the most rewarding aspects of academic life. My goal is to help colleagues develop the intellectual, technical, and professional skills necessary to pursue careers both within and beyond academia. Former students and collaborators have gone on to faculty positions, museum and nonprofit leadership roles, cultural resource management careers, and advanced graduate study.
Prospective students or collaborators are encouraged to contact me by email with a brief description of their research interests and relevant experience.
Selected Publications with Students and Post-Doctoral Advisees
Students and advisees are active collaborators in many of my research projects. The publications below represent a selection of work produced through these collaborative partnerships (advisee co-authors underlined).
2024 Peeples, Matthew A., John M. Roberts, Jr., and Yi Yin. Challenges for Network Research in Archaeology. In The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Network Research, Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK.
2023 John M. Roberts, Emily Dorshorst, Yi Yin, Matthew A. Peeples, Ronald L. Breiger, Barbara J. Mills. Sampling variability and centrality score comparisons in archaeological network analysis: A case study of the San Pedro Valley, Arizona. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 51:104100.
2023 Peeples, Matthew A. and Robert J. Bischoff. Archaeological networks, community detection, and critical scales of interaction in the U.S. Southwest/Mexican Northwest Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 70:101511
2023 Crawford, Katherine, Angela Huster, Matthew A. Peeples, Nicolas Gauthier, Michael E. Smith, Abigail York, Daniel Lawrence. A systematic approach for studying the persistence of settlements in the past. Antiquity 97(391):213-230
2022 Giomi, Evan, Barbara J. Mills, Leslie D. Aragon, Benjamin A. Bellorado, Matthew A. Peeples. Reading Between the Lines: The Social Values of Dogoszhi-style in the Chaco World. American Antiquity 87(1):100-123.
2021 Flower, Carolyn, Wendy C. Hodgson, Andrew M. Salywon, Brian S. Maitner, Brian J. Enquit, Matthew A. Peeples, and Benjamin Blonder. Human food use increases plant geographic ranges in the Sonoran Desert . Global Ecology and Biogeography. Online Early Access, DOI: 10.1111/geb.13311.
2021 Smith, Michael E., José Lobo, Matthew A. Peeples, Abigail M. York, Benjamin W. Stanley, Katherine A. Crawford, Nicolas Gauthier, and Angela C. Huster. The persistence of ancient settlements and urban sustainability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118(20):e2018155118.
2021 Roberts, John M., Jr., Yi Yin, Emily Dorshorst, Matthew A. Peeples, and Barbara J. Mills. Assessing the Performance of the Bootstrap in Simulated Assemblage Networks. Social Networks 65:98-109.
2021 Hegmon, Michelle, Will G. Russell, Kendall Baller, Matthew A. Peeples, Sarah Striker. The Social Significance of Mimbres Painted Pottery in the U.S. Southwest. American Antiquity 86(1):23-42.