S'edav Va'aki Museum has announced the appointment of Christopher W. Schwartz as Phoenix’s city archaeologist. 

Schwartz earned three degrees at Arizona State University in anthropology with a specialization in archaeology, according to a release announcing his appointment. He has conducted archaeological work in Arizona and New Mexico, as well as in the Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Zacatecas and México. ​

Schwartz’s academic research examines the social effect of “long-distance exchange and long-term human-animal relationships in pre-Hispanic North America,” the release stated. His work has been funded by various institutions, including the National Science Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities and the Society for American Archaeology. ​

Most recently, Schwartz, who began his work in Phoenix on Dec. 9, has been leading a cultural resources department for a private company.