Alumni and Placements

The Notre Dame Anthropology Ph.D. program at Notre Dame began in 2014. Since that time our students have produced innovative and integrative Ph.D. dissertations that speak to issues across anthropology from novel perspectives. Our very young Ph.D. program is beginning to place our graduates in a variety of academic and non-academic roles. We are so proud of our alumni, and look forward to their continued contributions to anthropology.

Our alumni

• Jelena Jankovic-Rankovic, 2022
  • Placement: 2023 Tenure track Assistant Professor, University of South Carolina
• Lauren Finnigan, 2023
  • Placement: 2023 Adjunct at Indiana University of South Bend and University of Notre Dame
• Sean Field, 2023
  • Placement: 2023 Tenure track Assistant Professor, University of Wyoming
• Mallika Sarma, 2020
  • Placement: 2023 Tenure track Assistant Professor, University of Pennsylvania
• Jeffrey V. Peterson, 2019
  • Placement: 2023 Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University
• Amanda Daniela Cortez, 2019
  • Placement: Postdoctoral Researcher – Ethics of Studying Indigenous Ancient DNA, University of Connecticut
    • Project Title: “The Ethics of Studying Indigenous North American Ancient DNA: Moving from Theories to Practices.”
    • Project PIs: Chip Colwell and Deborah Bolnick, Jessica Bardill, Ripan Malhi, Jessica Kolopenuk, George Nicholas, and Laura Weyrich.
  • Dissertation: Framing Women and Animals: Visibility, Multispecies Care, and Photography Tourism in Cusco (Christopher Ball, Agustín Fuentes, María Elena García, Natalie Porter)
• Rieti G. Gengo, 2019
  • Placement: Postdoctoral Teaching Scholar (2019-2020), Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame
  • Dissertation: Biosociality and Political Economy of Waiting at Kakuma Refugee Camp, Kenya (Rahul Oka, Lee Gettler, Agustín Fuentes, James McKenna)
• Angela Lederach 2019
  • Placement: Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology, Creighton University
  • Dissertation: "Feel the Grass Grow": The Practices and Politics of Slow Peace in Colombia (Catherine Bolten, Agustín Fuentes, Ann Mische, Manuel Salamanca)
• Jeffrey V. Peterson, 2019
  • Placement: Assistant Teaching Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame
  • Dissertation: Social Traditions and Social Networks among Long-Tailed Macaques in Indonesia (Agustín Fuentes, Susan Blum, Christopher Ball, James McKenna, Erin P. Riley)
• Emily deWet, 2020
  • Visiting Assistant Professor, Grinnell College Department of Anthropology
  • Dissertation: "Oh I love the Vibe": Alternative Township Geographies in Cape Town (Catherine Bolten, Alex Chávez, Susan Blum, Gabriel Torres)
• Kristina Hook, 2020
  • Placement: Research Assistant Professor and inaugural Executive Director of the Better Evidence Project, part of the Center for Peacemaking Practice at George Mason University’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution
  • Dissertation: "When the Ukrainain World Was Destroyed": Genocidal Narrative Convergence and Stakeholder Interactions During National Crises (Ernesto Verdeja, Agustín Fuentes, Rahul Oka, Vania Smith-Oka, Serhii Plokhii).
• Mallika Sarma, 2020
  • Placement: Postdoctoral researcher, John Hopkins University in the Human Spaceflight Lab
  • Dissertation: Acclimating to the Extreme: Energy Expenditure, Neurendocrine Systems, & Group Dynamics In Novel & Challenging Environments (Lee Gettler, Agustín Fuentes, Cara Ocobock, James McKenna)
• Nicholas Ames, 2021
  • Dissertation: "300 Years-from Tir na n6g: A trans-temporal, multi-sited approach to materializing identities among dispersed communities in Ireland and the U.S." (Ian Kuijt, Maurizio Albahari, Meredith Chesson, Krysta Ryzewski)
• Jelena Jankovic-Rankovic, 2021
  • Placement: Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Anthropology, University of Notre Dame
  • Nonlinearity and Convergent Modalities of Human Migration: A Biocultural Study of Quotidian Imperatives Among Refugees in Transitional Settlements (Lee Gettler, Rahul Oka, Maurizio Albahari, Agustín Fuentes)
• Richard (Drew) Marcantonio, 2021
  • Placement: Postdoctoral Research Associate, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
  • Dissertation: Environmental Violence in the Earth System and the Human Niche (Catherine Bolten, Agustín Fuentes, Donna Glowacki, Gary Lamberti)
• Kelsey Reese, 2021
  • Placement: Position with the Los Alamos National Laboratory
  • Dissertation: Resilient communities of the Mesa Verde North Escarpment, AD 890-1300 (Mark Golitko, Vania Smith-Oka, Matthew Sisk, Timothy Kohler, Devin White)
• Maryam Rokhideh, 2021
  • Dissertation: The Political Economy of Insecurity: Livelihoods, Mobilities, and Social Networks of Women Traders on the Congo-Rwanda Border (Catherine Bolten, Maurizio Albahari, Agustín Fuentes, Ernesto Verdeja)