Daniel LaDu

Daniel LaDu is an Assistant Professor and Director of the USM Archaeology Laboratory at the University of Southern Mississippi. Holding a PhD (2016) and MA (2009) in Anthropology from the University of Alabama, he specializes in the archaeology of complex societies in the southeastern United States with 15+ years of field experience spanning prehistoric and historic periods. His research combines ceramic analysis and Mississippi dugout canoe studies to explore socio-political inequality and subsistence strategies.

• Education: PhD, MA, and BA (2007) in Anthropology from University of Alabama and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• Teaching: Courses on archaeological methods, foodways, fieldwork, heritage policy, and complex societies

His ongoing projects include the Mazique Archaeological Project examining socio-political inequality emergence, and the Natchez Bluffs Village Project addressing settlement biases through community-level analysis. Recent publications focus on Coles Creek-Plaquemine transitions, hinterland settlement systems, and faunal records in the Lower Mississippi Valley.

Dr. LaDu actively mentors MA students and integrates fieldwork with laboratory research, maintaining expertise in ceramic analysis and Mississippi Valley archaeology. He can be reached at Daniel.LaDu@usm.edu or through the Liberal Arts Building (LAB) 439 at University of Southern Mississippi.