Dr. Brian Daniels

Biography

Brian Daniels is the director of research programs at the Penn Cultural Heritage Center, and an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania, specifically within the anthropology graduate group. He has served as a visiting professor for the Sustainable Cultural Heritage Graduate Program at the American University of Rome and has experience as a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution. Dr. Daniels’ research focuses on issues surrounding conflict, cultural loss, and human rights violations, emphasizing community-based approaches to cultural heritage preservation. He is an advocate for indigenous rights recognition. Currently, he leads the National Science Foundation-supported Conflict Culture Research Network, which unites scholars from fifteen international universities and research organizations in studying intentional cultural destruction. His efforts in protecting cultural heritage have been recognized with awards such as the Society for American Archaeology’s Presidential Recognition Award and the Lynn Reyer Award from the Tribal Community Development Society for his work with Shasta Indian communities in Northern California. Previously, he managed the National Endowment for the Humanities regional center initiative at San Francisco State University, where he developed public engagement strategies in digital humanities.

Research Interests