Dr. Haines has been associated with the Department of Anthropology at Trent University since 2005. Her primary research interest focuses on the socio-political and economic development of early complex societies in Mesoamerica, and she has worked in Belize since 1990. She is currently director of the Ka’Kabish Archaeological Research Project (KARP) in North-Central Belize (www.kakabish.org), and she received a National Geographic Society Research and Exploration Grant in 2014, and a SSHRC Standard Research Grant in 2009 to support research at this site. In addition to her work in Belize, she also has worked at Tiwanku, Bolivia, ShaanXi, China, and at historic and pre-historic sites in South-Central Ontario. She holds an MTCS Professional Archaeology License to conduct CRM work in Ontario, and she has experience working in the industry. She holds degrees from the University of Toronto (BA) and the University of London, England (PhD). She also held a 3-year Post-Doctoral research appointment in the Department of Anthropology at The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL.

Ancient Maya Civilisation • Development of Cultural Complexity and Socio-political Organizations • Architectural Implications for Political and Social Expressions of Power • Obsidian (Lithic) Economy and Technology • Comparative Ancient Complex Societies • Illicit Antiques Trade and the Ethics of Collecting Cultural Property.