David Byers

David Byers is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology at Utah State University, within the School of Social Sciences. He is based in Logan, Utah, and holds a PhD in Anthropology (Zooarchaeology) from the University of Utah (2006), an MA in Anthropology from the University of Wyoming (2001), and a BS in Industrial Supervision from Purdue University (1988).

His research focuses on zooarchaeology, paleoecology, and human-environment interactions during the Holocene and Late Pleistocene. Key areas include stable isotope analysis, upland and alpine archaeology of the Western U.S., coastal foragers of Jamaica, and human interactions with megafauna such as mammoths and bison. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Montana, and has contributed to numerous cultural resource inventories and technical reports.

Dr. Byers teaches core archaeology courses including ANTH 2330 (Principles of Archaeology), ANTH 5320/6320 (Zooarchaeology), and ANTH 6350 (Archaeological Theory). He has mentored over a dozen graduate students in anthropology and related fields, guiding them in lithic analysis, faunal studies, and archaeological theory.

His publication record includes over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and 4 book chapters. The most recent research trends reflect a strong emphasis on faunal morphology, subsistence strategies, and environmental change. Articles span topics from cranial variability in canids to Folsom-era mammoth hunting, bison diminution, and prehistoric cold storage practices, showcasing a methodologically rigorous and geographically diverse research program.

• Species-Specific Responses of Late Quaternary Megafauna to Climate and Humans (Nature, 2011)
• Stable Isotope Chemistry, Population Histories and Late Prehistoric Subsistence Change in the Aleutian Islands (JAS, 2011)
• Heat Treatment, Ozarks Cherts and Prehistoric Toolstone Use in Southwest Missouri (American Antiquity, 2014)
• Cranial variability in North American domestic and wild canids (JASR, 2024)

Dr. Byers has served as principal investigator on multiple field projects and cultural resource surveys, often in collaboration with federal agencies like the BLM and US Forest Service. His lab work integrates zooarchaeological analysis, GIS, and quantitative methods, supporting both graduate training and publication. He continues to lead field schools and independent studies in archaeology, contributing to the training of the next generation of anthropologists.