Lead Environmental Social Scientist
Keller Science Action Center
Chris is a cultural anthropologist and Environmental Social Scientist in the Andes Amazon program in the Keller Science Action Center. As part of the social team, Chris helps to bring together diverse stakeholders to develop collective visions and creative strategies that promote the flourishing of human and nonhuman life in Amazonia. Key to these efforts is supporting indigenous and local peoples’ stewardship of the landscapes they call home and ensuring that their perspectives and priorities are meaningfully integrated into governance.
Prior to joining the Field Museum, Chris conducted research with Amazonian Kichwa people in
Ecuador that examined a variety of ways in which Kichwa people sustain their life projects
through a creative synthesis of longstanding practices with new opportunities. His dissertation
analyzed the economic, political, and cultural implications of the rise of a global industry around
guayusa, a now-popular beverage ingredient that indigenous Amazonians have produced and
consumed locally for millennia.
Education and Work
M.A. and Ph.D. The University of Texas at San Antonio, Anthropology B.A. Elon University, International Studies