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. In use these tools in my research 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 