R. E. Burrillo is a researcher, author, conservationist, and cultural preservationist. He holds a Master of Science in Archaeology from the University of Utah and is a Research Associate with Archaeology Southwest.

His writing has appeared in Kiva, American Antiquity, Archaeology Southwest Magazine, Colorado Plateau Advocate, and The Salt Lake Tribune, along with many regional publications. He is also the author of Behind the Bears Ears: Exploring the Cultural and Natural Histories of a Sacred Landscape, which was chosen by ForeWord Book Reviews as their critic’s choice in nonfiction for the year 2020; The Backwoods of Everywhere: Words from a Wandering Local, an essay collection published in 2022; and American Archaeology: Living History, Stolen Pasts, and Defending the Future, scheduled for publication in April 2026.

He currently lives in Tucson, Arizona.