I am an anthropological archaeologist who specializes in the use of digital methods including geographic information systems (GIS), aerial and satellite remote sensing, and archaeological geophysics. I use these tools to study long-term human-environment interactions, ancient urbanization, and monumentality and memory, working mostly at the landscape scale.
I teach and mentor students at the University of Pennsylvania as the Kowalski Family Teaching Specialist for Digital Archaeology where I direct the Digital Lab in the Center for Analysis of Archaeological Materials (CAAM) at the Penn Museum and serve as a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology.
My current research projects focus on the roles memory plays in landscapes occupied and created by diasporic communities. These include a multi-year research project at the site of ancient Motya, in Sicily, in partnership with colleagues at the University of Palermo. I also work locally where I run a community archaeology project examining African American burial spaces in Pennsylvania, with colleagues at Pennsylvania Hallowed Grounds that is integrated with CAAM’s course offerings in digital archaeology.
Beyond these, I have contributed to ongoing research projects in southwest Asia and the Mediterranean, where I study patterns of settlement and human interaction with landscapes surrounding large urban centers. Some notable examples are my roles as part of long-term excavation and survey projects in Türkiye and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Jason T. Herrmann 