I was born in Jamaica and moved to Canada in 2012 after finishing high school. I have always been interested in history and archaeology.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO COME TO SFU?

The SFU Archaeology department has long standing research relationships within the Caribbean and Jamaica and is overall an excellent department which offers one of the best archaeology programs in Canada.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH AND/OR PROGRAM.

While much of the Caribbean shows signs of being settled as early as 6000 years ago, Jamaica seems to have been settled only as recently as 1500 years ago and is largely seen as an anomaly among Caribbean archaeologists. I am creating a framework for a systematic survey of the island for early sites using GIS software and mapping the most ideal ecological locations that these people would have chosen to settle.

WHAT ARE YOU PARTICULARLY ENJOYING ABOUT YOUR STUDIES/RESEARCH AT SFU?

I am enjoying the support of the faculty and my fellow graduate students during these strange times.

HAVE YOU BEEN THE RECIPIENT OF ANY MAJOR OR DONOR FUNDED AWARDS?

I have been very lucky to receive a SSHRC Master's award. This award has allowed me to continue to support my research over the past year and without it the impact of the pandemic would have been significantly worse on my studies.

DESCRIBE YOUR PROGRAM FOR THOSE SEARCHING.

I would describe it as being surrounded by brilliant faculty members and other graduate students who are willing to help you with anything. The courses provide a good good base from where to build your thesis.

Contact Simon: svanbarn@sfu.ca