His doctoral research examined the taphonomy of dinosaur bonebeds in the Late Cretaceous of Montana, and he received his Ph.D. from Montana State University in 1995. His research continues to be largely field-based and focused on the interface between biologic and geologic processes. By blending sedimentologic, taphonomic and anatomic data within a broader evolutionary context, this work addresses a variety of questions on dinosaur paleobiology.