Alex Atkinson

Alex Atkinson got his start as a professional archaeologist at Michigan Tech by earning a B.S. in Anthropology in 2015. Alex now works for Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, a Terracon Company, in North and South Dakota. As an anthropology major at Michigan Tech, Alex took advantage of undergraduate research opportunities to work with faculty on iron preservation and experimental archaeology projects. These efforts culminated in a senior thesis entitled, “The Conservation of Copper Alloy Public Artworks,” analyzing original data on outdoor memorial statues in the Houghton area.

After completing his Masters in Archaeological Science from Durham University, Alex worked at a variety of cultural resource management (CRM) firms and for USDA as an archaeologist before he landed at Metcalf Archaeological Consultants in 2025. CRM specialists identify, evaluate, and preserve cultural assets, including historic structures, sacred sites, artifacts, and other aspects of cultural traditions and heritage.

“Looking back,” Alex says, “I greatly value the experience from my thesis project at MTU for putting me in the headspace of what it really takes to bring a project from an idea to a real finished product.” Alex has continued to get his hands dirty in a wide variety of professional archaeology projects, conducting field work in North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arkansas. Working outdoors is a central part of his profession. Offering advice for students preparing for this work, “Actually hiking, off-road driving, practical first aid, and general conditioning are skills that enable excellence in field archaeology.”

Alex sees workforce needs for cultural resource management archaeologists. “CRM is experiencing a broad labor vacuum,” he notes. “There are needs for traditional field archaeologists, underwater archaeologists, geoarchaeologists, architectural historians, and other specialists.” Michigan Tech hosts an annual CRM Career Fair, where students connect with CRM employers, agencies, and organizations from across the country. While a large number of CRM specialists are trained as archaeologists, they may also have a background in areas like architectural history, ethnography, planning and design, or curation. Those hiring include engineering firms, agencies, museums, heritage organizations, and nonprofits that do CRM work.

Updated September 2026