While a member of the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) faculty, Danielle Kurin, PhD, taught Department of Anthropology courses at graduate and undergraduate levels. Professor Kurin directed the Phillip Walker Bioarcheology and Forensic Bone Lab and was responsible for lectures, seminars, and lab sections in bioarchaeology, osteology, human evolution, and forensics. With a field research focus on Peru and other regions of the Andes, Danielle Kurin, PhD, is fluent in Spanish and speaks Quechua and undertakes analysis of ancient human remains, including bones.
One of her completed research projects focused on understanding the history and health of prehistoric human populations at the genomic level. From 2007 to 2016, Dr. Danielle Kurin was the principal investigator and director of the Andahuaylas Bioarchaeology Project, which spans various Apurimac, Peru, sites. Dr. Kurin also served as a consulting osteoarchaeologist and subject matter expert for the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian’s Inka Road Exhibition, curated by Dr. Ramiro Matos Mendieta.
Danielle Kurin, PhD, remains closely engaged with her professional community and has organized World Anthropology Day and other events. Dr. Kurin chaired UCSB's Anthropology Development Committee in 2016 and served as committee chair and director of Global Collaborative Research at the Universidad Nacional Jose Maria Arguedas in Peru.