José Iriarte is Associate Professor at the Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter. He is an archaeologist and archaeobotanist with a strong track record of research on human environmental interactions, the development of agricultural economies and the rise of complex societies in Latin America. He has extensive experience in initiating, directing and participating in a wide range of international multidisciplinary projects in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, French Guiana, Mexico and Uruguay. Professor Iriarte has developed innovative multi-proxy, cross-disciplinary approaches integrating archaeology, palaeoecology, soil science, and modern ecology, which has allowed him to explore human environmental interactions in depth and have provided clearer evidence on the timing and nature of human impact on tropical and subtropical ecosystems. He has developed a strong research group at the Laboratory of Archaeobotany and Palaeoecology investigating coupled human and natural systems in Latin America. Read his full CV on his web-page: http://www.joseiriartearchaeology.net/pages/cv).