From 2013 to 2022, bioanthropologist Danielle Kurin, PhD, lectured and advised graduate and undergraduate students as an assistant professor and then a tenured associate profssor at the University of California Santa Barbara. Prior to joining the UCSB faculty, Danielle Kurin held professorial positions at Universidad Nacional José María Arguedas and Universidad Tecnológica de Los Andes in Peru. Fluent in Spanish and the Indigenous language of Quechua, she is a noted expert in pre-Colombian Latin American bioarchaeology and in forensic anthropology..
Throughout the course of her academic career, Danielle Kurin has conducted field research at archaeological sites across Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia to understand the effects of war and deprivation on Indigenous tribes. Her work has been published in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology and the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.
She served on the UCSB Anthropology Development Committee, and previously served as the faculty sponsor of the university’s Undergrad Anthropology Research Journal.
Latest Blog Post
AI Applications in Digital Archaeology
Digital archeology uses technology for research, analysis, and documentation of discoveries. AI promises to take digital archeology even further with faster, more accurate, and less intrusive discovery, extraction, and analysis. Despite AI’s transformative potential, several challenges must be addressed to facilitate its widespread adoption in archaeology. Traditional data collection and analysis tools and methods are…
Trepanation – Understanding the Ancient Practice of Cranial Drilling
Trepanation, the ancient practice of drilling or scraping a hole into the human skull, is one of humanity’s earliest known surgical interventions. Archaeology says this tradition stretches back thousands of years across civilizations and countries. Although dangerous, trepanned skulls are essential in ancient civilizations’ knowledge of health and the body. Historical records and archaeological findings…
Recognizing the Warning Signs of Genocide – Preventing Mass Atrocities
Understanding and addressing the warning signs of genocide plays a pivotal role in preventing mass atrocities. Genocide does not occur spontaneously; instead, it follows a path marked by identifiable patterns and behaviors. You might observe the early stages of genocide in subtle but alarming ways, such as the deliberate polarization of communities, targeted propaganda, and…
Danielle Kurin 