Professor Robin is an anthropological archaeologist who specializes in the study of the everyday lives of ordinary people in ancient Maya society.  Her research has paid particular attention to household and gender relations. By documenting archaeologically how ordinary people make a difference in the past, we become aware that people are not the mere pawns of history or prehistory. Since 2001 Robin has led an international multi-disciplinary team that is studying the 2000 year history of the ancient Maya farming community of Chan in Belize. Chan’s occupation spans the periods of the rise and fall of pre-Columbian Maya civilization, making Chan an ideal place not only to learn about Maya farmers, but also to explore how ordinary life affected and was affected by broader changes in a society.