Curriculum Vitae
This page provides a readable web version of my CV. A downloadable Word version is also available below.
Education
Ph.D., Geography and the Environment, The University of Texas at Austin
Expected 2027. Dissertation focus: integrated geospatial, geoarchaeological, and paleoenvironmental approaches to ancient Maya landscapes.
M.S., Geography, The University of Georgia
2011.
B.S., Geography; B.A., Anthropology, Auburn University
2007, cum laude.
Research Profile
Geospatial geoarchaeologist studying ancient engineered landscapes, environmental legacies, and human–environment interaction in the Maya lowlands. My research integrates lidar, drone mapping, GIS, 3D modeling, excavation, coring, soils, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, and digital heritage to reconstruct how communities transformed tropical landscapes over time.
Publications and Manuscripts
- Thompson, A.E., L.J. Kosakowsky, and C. Ploetz. 2023. (Re)Building chronologies and spheres of interaction in southern Belize. Research Reports in Belizean Archaeology 18:385–396.
- Ploetz, C. 2023. Readers of the Lost Artifacts: The Heaven’s Vault Video Game. Advances in Archaeological Practice 11(4):461–464.
- Manuscripts in preparation include Digital Dig Kits; airborne and drone lidar comparison; Laguna Seca chronology and landscape engineering; iPhone lidar to 3D printed model workflow; and fire severity/biomass exposure mapping in southern Belize.
Teaching
- Instructor of Record, The Natural Environment, The University of Texas at Austin.
- Teaching Assistant, Digital Earth; Sustainable Development; The Healthy, Livable City; The Natural Environment; Lidar Analysis.
- Guest Lecturer, Lidar Analysis; The Past in Pop Culture.
Technical and Methodological Skills
- ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, GIS analysis, lidar point clouds, airborne and UAV lidar, DEM and terrain modeling, satellite imagery, multispectral imagery, Google Earth Engine, cartography, and spatial analysis.
- Terrestrial laser scanning, FARO workflows, iPhone/mobile lidar, photogrammetry, 3D modeling, 3D printing, digital conservation, and digital-twin/visualization workflows.
- Excavation, pedestrian survey, archaeological mapping, sediment coring, wetland soils, trenching, soil and sediment description, artifact cataloging, and paleoenvironmental sampling.