Kristina G. Douglass
Kristina Douglass is an award-winning archaeologist whose research explores the dynamic co-evolution of people, land, and seascapes. She is a 2021 Carnegie Fellow and currently serves as an Associate Professor of Climate in Columbia University’s Climate School. Before joining Columbia, she was the Joyce and Doug Sherwin Early Career Professor in the Rock Ethics Institute and an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and African Studies at Penn State University. Douglass is also a Smithsonian Institution Research Associate and a leading voice in climate-centered archaeology.
Her work is deeply grounded in ethical, collaborative partnerships with local, Indigenous, and descendant (LID)communities as equal partners in the co-production of knowledge. These collaborations prioritize the recording, preservation, and dissemination of LID knowledge to address pressing global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, and sustainability planning. Douglass is particularly interested in contributing long-term, historically informed perspectives to public discourse, policymaking, and community adaptation strategies.
Since 2011, Douglass has directed the Morombe Archaeological Project (MAP), based in the Velondriake Marine Protected Area of southwest Madagascar. This region is home to a diverse tapestry of communities, including Vezo fishers, Mikea foragers, and Masikoro herders. MAP integrates archaeological research with LID knowledge to examine how communities adapt to environmental change over time. The MAP team is composed of Velondriake community members alongside an international network of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. The project is anchored at Columbia University in the Olo Be Taloha Lab (@OBTLab), which Douglass directs.
Douglass is a passionate advocate for interdisciplinary and community-centered science. She has received numerous accolades for her work, including competitive fellowships and awards that recognize her innovative approaches to integrating archaeology, paleoecology, and climate studies. Her research has been published in leading academic journals and informs global conversations on climate resilience, cultural heritage, and environmental justice.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Douglass is a multifaceted individual: a mother, singer, dancer, Capoeirista, SCUBA diver, and avid gardener. She brings her creative and embodied practices to her work as an archaeologist, integrating arts and movement like Capoeira and samba to foster community-building and social memory in her research collaborations. Through her scholarship and vibrant personal engagement, Douglass seeks to advance resilience and equity in historically overburdened communities worldwide.
Kristina Douglass, PhD in Anthropology from Yale earned in 2016
Currently appointed as Associate Professor of Climate, The Climate School, Columbia University