ABOUT US

Dominique Rissolo, Ph.D., RPA

Archaeologist and Director of Research, Waitt Institute for Discovery

Dominique Rissolo is an archaeologist with field experience in the United States and Latin America. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. in anthropology, with an emphasis in archaeology, from the University of California, Riverside, and received his B.A. in anthropology, with a minor in geological sciences, from San Diego State University.

Prior to coming to the Waitt Institute for Discovery, Dominique’s primary interest has been in the rise of social complexity in the northern Maya lowlands and the development of ancient maritime trade networks along the Yucatan coast. His research on the Yucatan Peninsula has also focused on ancient Maya cave use as well as coastal and near-coastal settlement patterns and ecosystems. Throughout his fieldwork, Dominique has been active in local indigenous issues and involved the development of sustainable heritage resource management strategies.

Dominique has published extensively on these and other topics in various journals including the Journal of Ethnobiology and the Journal of Anthropological Research. Recently published book chapters can be found in Lifeways in the Lowlands, Quintana Roo Archaeology, and In the Maw of the Earth Monster. He has also presented numerous research papers at national and international conferences.

Prior to joining the Waitt Institute for Discovery, Dominique taught anthropology and archaeology at San Diego State University where he is currently an adjunct professor. He has also taught courses and worked closely with students at the University of California, San Diego.

Dominique is a Research Associate at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and is director of the Yalahau Archaeological Cave Survey, co-director of Proyecto Costa Escondida, and associate director of the Yalahau Regional Human Ecology Project. He is also an active member of the American Anthropological Association, the Society for American Archaeology, the Society for Historical Archaeology, the Archaeological Institute of America, and the Nautical Archaeology Society.

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