Museum Directions
Welcome, Todd!

by Lexie Briggs, Marketing and Communications Specialist

In late August, the museum welcomed Dr. Todd Braje as our new executive director. Todd spent nearly 15 years as a faculty member at San Diego State’s Department of Anthropology, where he conducted archaeological research specializing in long-term human-environmental interactions, the archaeology of maritime societies, historical ecological approaches to understanding coastal hunter-gatherer-fishers, and the peopling of the New World.

Todd earned his doctorate at the University of Oregon in 2007. He also is a former Oregon middle school teacher, a returned Peace Corps volunteer, and the former Irvine Curator of Anthropology at the California Academy of Sciences, which is the largest natural history museum west of the Mississippi. Along with over 100 academic manuscripts, he has published several books, monographs, and edited volumes. His newest book, Understanding Imperiled Earth: How Archaeology and Human History Can Inform Our Planet’s Future (April 2024, Smithsonian Books), explores the ways archaeology and history can act as critical guides for addressing the modern environmental crisis.

Todd says: “I am thrilled to join the outstanding and dedicated scientists, educators, and staff at the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History (MNCH). I want to thank all of you for a wonderful welcome to the museum community. I am exceptionally excited and privileged to have the opportunity to return to the UO and MNCH and I look forward to working with each of you in the coming months and years to build on our mission to enhance knowledge of Earth’s environment and cultures and inspire stewardship of our collective past, present, and future. MNCH is a dynamic, world class institution because of your dedication and efforts.”