Rate My Professor Patrick Lubinski

Patrick Lubinski is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Museum Studies at Central Washington University, where he has been on the faculty since 2000, progressing from Assistant Professor (2000-2005) to Associate Professor (2005-2010) and Professor (2010-present). He holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology (Archaeology) with a minor in Geography-Geomorphology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (1997), an M.S. in Anthropology (Archaeology) from the same university (1990), and a B.S. in Biology magna cum laude from the University of Cincinnati (1986). Earlier in his career, Lubinski worked as a staff archaeologist and zooarchaeology consultant for organizations including Western Wyoming Community College (1998-2000), Western Archaeological Services (2000), and Alpine Archaeological Consultants (1999-2000), accumulating over 30 field seasons across North America and internationally.

Lubinski's research specializes in zooarchaeology, archaeological methods, cultural resource management, and the prehistory of western North America. As director of the CWU Zooarchaeology Laboratory, he leads projects such as the Wenas Creek Mammoth site investigation and faunal analyses from Paisley Caves, Oregon, focusing on bone taphonomy, paleohydrology, faunal identification, and prehistoric subsistence. His key publications include "The 17 Ka Wenas Creek Site in Washington State: Bone Taphonomy and Mammoth Paleontology" (PaleoAmerica, 2024), "Blind Testing of Faunal Identification Protocols: A Case Study with North American Artiodactyl Stylohyoids" (American Antiquity, 2020), "Comparative Methods for Distinguishing Flakes from Geofacts: A Case Study from the Wenas Creek Mammoth Site" (Journal of Archaeological Science, 2014), "Reconstructing Paleohydrology in the Northwest Great Basin Since the Last Deglaciation Using Paisley Caves Fish Remains" (Quaternary Science Reviews, 2021), and the highly cited "Fish Heads, Fish Heads: An Experiment on Differential Bone Preservation in a Salmonid Fish" (Journal of Archaeological Science, 1996). He has earned the CWU Distinguished Teaching Award (2017), SOURCE Faculty Mentor Award (2007), and Excellence in Teaching Award (2005), and has mentored over 80 students while chairing more than 30 master's theses and serving editorially for Archaeology in Washington (2007-2010).