Randy Haas

Randy Haas is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Wyoming, specializing in forager archaeology. His research focuses on hunter-gatherer societies across multiple continents, with extensive fieldwork in the Andes Mountains of Peru and western North America.

His primary research interests include forager diets, mobility patterns, technological adaptations, and social cooperation among ancient hunter-gatherer societies. Haas employs quantitative comparative approaches that integrate large datasets across North and South America, combining traditional archaeological methods with cutting-edge techniques including paleogenomics, isotope chemistry, and satellite survey technology. His work examines human behavioral evolution through the lens of foraging societies that represent the majority of human history.

Haas's recent publications reveal strong trends in Andean archaeology, particularly focusing on early human adaptation to high-altitude environments, transitions in subsistence strategies, and the relationship between environmental change and social organization. His research demonstrates sophisticated integration of multiple scientific disciplines including zooarchaeology, archaeobotany, lithic analysis, and paleogenomics to address fundamental questions about human behavioral evolution.

Haas leads the Forager Archaeology Lab (FAL), which conducts field research across multiple continents and emphasizes quantitative methods and comparative approaches. The lab investigates how ancient forager societies inform our understanding of modern human behavior, examining social organization, nutrition, health, mobility, and technology across more than 10,000 years of human history. Based at the University of Wyoming, the lab collaborates with the Collasuyo Archaeological Research Institute in Peru.

As an active mentor, Haas accepts MA and PhD students interested in forager archaeology. His methodological expertise spans field excavation, laboratory analysis, quantitative methods, and experimental archaeology. Current projects include investigations into projectile technology effectiveness, early high-altitude settlement, and the relationship between climate change and social conflict in ancient Andean societies.