I am an anthropological linguist, specializing in the societies and languages of Greater Amazonia. I have carried out numerous linguistic and ethnographic research projects in Peruvian Amazonia (see map), where I continue to work. 

Communities in which I have carried out linguistic and ethnographic work are marked with a circle; communities in which I have carried out only ethnographic work are marked with a square.

I am an assistant professor in the Linguistics department at the University of California, Berkeley. I recently completed my dissertation, entitled Nanti Evidential Practice: Language, Knowledge, and Social Action in an Amazonian Society at the University of Texas at Austin, where I was a student in the Linguistic Anthropology program in the Department of Anthropology.

My research interests include the social dimensions of deictic grammatical categories (especially evidentiality and person markers), the structure and social functions of verbal art, comparative Arawak and Zaparoan linguistics, descriptive and documentary  linguistics, language typology, language revitalization, and language politics.

 I also work with Cabeceras Aid Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to practical community projects and ethnographic and linguistic research, aimed at supporting indigenous Amazonian communities in their efforts to maintain self-determination in areas such as land rights, health, and education.

When not in the field, I live in Berkeley, California, with my partner Christine Beier, with whom I also work in the field. 

A photo of Chris and me, taken by our Nanti friend Hirero. Chris wears the kóriki worn by Nanti women; I wear the mágatsi worn by Nanti men. 

When not working I blog, cycle, cook, and enjoy micro-brewed beer.

I can be contacted at: firstnamelastname<at>berkeley.edu