Matthew Dysart is a PhD candidate in anthropology at SUNY Buffalo, studying under Dr. W. Barbour. His research interests include early state formation in Mesoamerica, theories of cultural agency and structure, urban development, and faunal analysis. He has conducted archaeological fieldwork in Crete and Montana, analyzing faunal remains. He has presented his research at several conferences and published papers on faunal analysis from Minoan sites and human sacrifice cross-culturally.