Sandra L. López Varela, Full-time Professor, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sandra López Varela is a registered professional archaeologist (RPA 15480) who served as President of the Society for Archaeological Sciences (2009-2011) and Archaeology Chair (2011-2014) of the American Anthropological Association. Her earlier analytical studies of Maya pottery production technologies and ethnoarchaeological investigations in rural Mexico set the tone for cutting-edge exploration and innovation of archaeological sciences in unexplored fields, such as poverty reduction policies. As Editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Archaeological Sciences, she highlights the relevance of archaeological data in solving modern phenomena challenging our capacity to live on the planet. Her latest project deciphers the impact of modern phenomena on heritage preservation by incorporating information and communication technologies and social media. The project, México Alternativo (https://www.mexicoalternativounam.com), has developed a free mobile App taking you to the streets of Mexico City through a smartphone or webpage to connect you with their history. With a deep understanding of the digital divide, she ensures that Web 3.0 UX-IX approaches are as accessible as they are enriching. To redefine the boundaries of archaeological sciences, she teaches heritage management courses, blending policy-making, business and marketing, and information and communication technologies. Most recently, she co-chaired the task force that revised the ethical principles of the Society for American Archaeology (SAA), reinforcing her commitment to integrity in archaeological practice. In 2024, her involvement in the SAA committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) further highlights her dedication to fostering a fair, inclusive, accessible, and equitable professional landscape for all. 

Adrian L. Burke, Professeur titulaire (full professor), Département d’anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada, Director of the Laboratoire de caractérisation des matériaux archéologiques
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Adrian Burke is an archaeologist specializing in the physico-chemical characterization of rocks and minerals used in the past to make tools and ornaments. He carries out most of his research, including geoarchaeological fieldwork, in northeastern North America. He currently directs an XRF laboratory dedicated to the geochemical analysis of geological samples and archaeological artifacts. He also uses other techniques such as thin section petrography, SEM, XRD, and NAA to characterize raw materials. Burke was a key member of both the scientific and local organizing committees for the 2019 GMPCA colloquium in Montreal, Canada, as well as previously serving as the SAS Vice President of Intersociety Relations.

Andrew Michael Zipkin, Scientist, Eurofins EAG Laboratories, 103 Commerce Blvd, Liverpool, NY 13088; Adjunct Professor, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, 900 S. Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Andrew Zipkin is an archaeological scientist with over a decade of experience in elemental characterization, isotope geochemistry, compositional data analysis, provenience studies, geographic information science, and ethnoarchaeology. He currently works as an analytical chemist and materials scientist for the commercial laboratory and contract research organization EAG Laboratories. His instrumental specialty is Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry and its variants (e.g., single quadrupole, triple quad, magnetic sector multicollector), with an emphasis on in situ analyses of non-traditional materials by laser ablation. Zipkin has also been affiliated with ASU in multiple capacities since 2018. Previously, he was a National Science Foundation SBE Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Ph.D. student at The George Washington University. He conducted archaeological, ethnographic, and geological field work in Alaska, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia between 2007 and 2019. In academic research, Andrew primarily focuses on developing minimally destructive methods for geochemical provenience studies and other classification-oriented problems in archaeology. Secondary research areas include material properties of hafting adhesives, identification of heat treated toolstone, and detecting chemical diagenesis in faunal hard tissue. His main archaeomaterials of interest are ochre, silcrete, and ostrich eggshell.

Kyle P. Freund, Principal Investigator, Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Nevada, USA This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kyle Freund (Ph.D. McMaster University) is a Principal Investigator at Far Western Anthropological Research Group, Inc. whose specializations include lithic analysis, obsidian sourcing via XRF spectrometry, GIS and spatial statistics, and field survey. Prior to joining Far Western, Kyle served as an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Indian River State College in Ft. Pierce, FL. He has been involved in a diverse range of field projects throughout Italy, Greece, Turkey, Canada, and the United States, although his primary research centers on how obsidian sourcing studies can be used to address questions of broad archaeological significance. This includes focusing on the role of obsidian exchange and gift-giving practices in structuring early farming societies of the Mediterranean as well as identifying long-term mobility patterns of hunter-gatherers in the U.S. Great Basin.