Areas of interest
Marine Archaeology, Underwater Geo-Visualization, Coastal Migration, the Peopling of the Americas, Beringia, Pleistocene Archaeology
Education
- BA: University of Saskatchewan (1988)
- MA: Simon Fraser University (2021)
Biography
For close to 30 years now I've been a marine archaeologist. A large part of my career has been focused on studying shipwrecks but, more recently, it has expanded to locating and documenting atypical wrecks, such as WWII aircraft and, now, submerged landscapes. I'm particularly interested in finding evidence of a coastal migration route related to the peopling of the Americas on the Pacific coast of North America that may have existed prior to 12,000 BP.
Underwater remote sensing technology has increasingly become more of a focus for the discipline. Presently, I'm interested in the advancement and application of such technologies as Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) and Autonomously Operated Vehicles (AUVs) in relation to acoustic surveying (multi-beam bathymetry and sub-bottom profiling) and visual surveying (virtual reality and 3D imaging).
In 2012, I was named a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society for my research contributions to the search for the ships of the Franklin Expedition, Erebus and Terror.
When it comes to protecting underwater cultural heritage, I believe strongly in education and advocacy. In addition to being a member of the Society For American Archaeology and the Canadian Archaeological Association, I`m also a member of Archaeologists Without Borders and Saving Antiquities For Everyone.
For More Information About My Work
- SFU researcher explores Haida Gwaii’s unique archeological history - The Northern View
- https://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2022/03/diving-archaeologist-collaborates-on-technology-that-identifies-.html
- http://www.sfu.ca/sfunews/stories/2021/02/sfu-archaeologist-seeks-clues-to-ancient-migration-route-in-b-c-.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=3a4d30be-aee4-47d7-9ce8-dff8dd9af8cd
- https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/02/19/marine-archaeologist-looking-for-clues-of-ancient-migration-in-bc-waters.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQqwQH7Dnqg&t=24s
- https://thestarphoenix.com/life/bridges/diver-makes-yesterday-relevant-today
Publications
Rob Rondeau, Carleton W.C., Collard M., Driver J., Does the Locally-Adaptive Model of Archaeological Potential (LAMAP) work for hunter-gatherer sites? A test using data from the Tanana Valley, Alaska. 2022. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0265597
I continue to research historic shipwrecks, including Edwardian-era ocean liners such as Titanic, Empress of Ireland and Royal Edward. My first book, Titanic Lives, was published in 2012. Titanic Lives - Formac
Conferences
2021 "The Search for New Archaeological Sites Underwater on the Pacific Northwest Coast". Society for American Archaeology (SAA) Annual General Meeting, online - presenter.
2019 "Beringia Underwater: The Search for New Archaeological Sites". American Academy of Underwater Sciences, Vancouver - presenter.
2018 "Archaeological Geovisualization Underwater". SAA Annual General Meeting, Washington, DC - session chair and presenter.
