Careers and Opportunities
Our graduates go on to pursues work in a variety of fields and careers. The majority of our graduates pursue academic careers in tenure or non-tenure track positions in departments of Anthropology or other university programs, such as colleges of Medicine or Public Health, and Ethnic and Cultural Studies programs. Others of our graduates find work with state and local government organizations as planners, researchers, and managers. Finally, some of our graduates use their anthropological training in corporate and non-governmental organization or community-based settings.
PhD Program Data
The Graduate College maintains admissions, enrollment, completion, and employment data for PhD programs throughout the University. For more information, visit the Graduate College's PhD Program Data page.
American Anthropological Association
The American Anthropological Association provides a Careers in Anthropology page that details career opportunities and resources.
Career Resources for UI Graduate Students
The Graduate College offers robust professional development services, including career guidance, national grants and fellowships support, and Iowa's Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL). For more information on graduate student professional development services, visit the Professional Development page in the Graduate College.
Where do our graduates end up?
The following list is a sampling of where our graduate students have ended up in recent years:
| Name | Graduation Year | Current Employer |
|---|---|---|
| Caleb Klipowicz | 2024 | Lecturer, Dept of Anthropology and Geography, Coastal Carolina University, Conway, SC |
| Ariane Thomas | 2024 | post-doctoral scholar, Comparative Genetics Section, National Institute of Health, Bethesda, MD |
| Scott Olson | 2023 | Academic advisor, Oakland University, Rochester, MI |
| Addison Kimmel | 2022 | Principal Investigator, Wapsi Valley Archaeology, Rock Island, IL |
| Kerri Lorigan | 2022 | Assistant Professor, Sociology, Langston University, Clarksville, TN |
| Noah Johnson | 2022 | Visiting Assistant Professor, Sociology and Anthropology, Cornell College, Mount Vernon, IA |
| Jeongeun Lee | 2021 | Teaching at a local community college in Santa Clarita and at California State University, Northridge |
| Elizabeth Handschy | 2021 | Graduation Coordinator, Menlo Park Academy, Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Emma Handler (Wood) | 2020 | Clinical Instructor, Anatomy & Cell Biology, and Co-Director of the Master of Clinical Anatomy Program, Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Iowa |
| James McGrath | 2020 | Principal Investigator, Tallgrass Archaeology, Iowa City, IA |
| Ana-Monica Racila | 2020 | Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Internal Medicine, University of Iowa |
| Christie Vogler | 2020 | Co-host and producer, Movies We Dig podcast |
| Alejandro Muzzio | 2019 | Instructor, Howard Community College (Columbia, MD) |
| Paul Capobianco | 2019 | Specially Appointed Associate Professor, Faculty of Media and Communication, Hokkaido University (Japan) |
| Theodore Marks | 2018 | Faculty member, Academic Studio, New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (New Orleans, LA) |
| Meredith Wismer | 2018 | Assistant Professor, Anthropology, Salt Lake Community College (Salt Lake, UT) |
| Toby Avalos | 2017 | Associate Professor (tenured), Anthropology, Centralia College (Centralia, WA) |
| Christian Haunton | 2017 | Developmental editor and creative consultant |
| Jill Davis | 2016 | Faculty, Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) program, Minneapolis College |
| Miranda Karban | 2016 | Associate Professor (tenured) and Department Chair, Biology, Illinois College (Jacksonville, IL) |
| Shelby Putt | 2016 | Assistant Professor (tenure-track), Sociology and Anthropology, Illinois State University (Normal, IL) |
| Jennifer Trivedi | 2016 | Assistant Professor (tenure-track), Anthropology, University of Delaware (Newark, DE) |
| Susanna Donaldson | 2015 | Teaching Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Sociology and Anthropology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia |
| Christina Nicholas | 2015 | Associate Professor (tenured) and Associate Director for Graduate Research, Department of Orthodontics, University of Illinois - Chicago (Chicago, IL) |
| Tony Pomales | 2015 | Research Analyst, US Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Services Research, Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation, Iowa City, IA |
| Michelle Quill | 2015 | |
| Sarah Trabert | 2015 | Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma (Norman, OK) |
| Brandi Janssen | 2014 | Clinical Assistant Professor and Director, Iowa's Center for Agricultural Safety and Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA) |
| Jonathan Thomas | 2014 | Research Coordinator, Diabetes Research Center at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine |
| Erica Begun-Veenstra | 2013 | Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, Grand Valley State University (Allendale, MI) |
| Cindee Calton | 2013 | Teacher Professional Development Specialist, Science Museum of Minnesota (St. Paul, MN) and Adjunct Professor, McNally Smith College (St. Paul, MN) |
| Jenna Grant | 2013 | Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington (Seattle, WA) |
| Hannah Marsh | 2013 | Assistant Professor, Department of History and Anthropology, Central Missouri University (Warrensburg, MO) |
| Cristina L. Ortiz | 2013 | Assistant Professor, Division of Social Sciences, University of Minnesota - Morris (Morris, MN) |
| Clare Tolmie | 2013 | Senior Research Archaeologist, Illinois State Archaeological Survey (Champaign, IL) |
| Alissa M. Whitmore | 2013 | Academic Advisor, World Languages & Cultures, Iowa State University (Ames, IA) |
| Cerisa Reynolds | 2012 | Instructor, Department of Anthropology, Aims Community College (Greeley, CO) |
| Anna Waterman | 2012 | Associate Professor of Biology (tenured), Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, Mount Mercy University (Cedar Rapids, IA) |