Alyson O’Daniel

Alyson O’Daniel is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Indianapolis. Her research examines sociopolitical dimensions of vulnerability and inequality, with recent fieldwork focused on humanitarian forensic anthropology along the Texas border.

She collaborates with forensic teams documenting migrant fatalities, analyzing how forensic science interacts with immigration policy and social justice. Her methodological approach combines ethnographic observation with political theory to interrogate systemic inequality.

She describes her work as highlighting 'extraordinary courage and resilience' amid humanitarian crises, viewing anthropology as a tool for social change.