Haidy Geismar

Haidy Geismar is a Professor of Anthropology at University College London (UCL), serving as Director of the UCL School for the Creative and Cultural Industries and co-director of the Digital Anthropology Programme. She curates UCL's Ethnography Collections and leads initiatives at UCL's East London campus focused on media, heritage, and collections. With fieldwork in Vanuatu and New Zealand since 2000, her research bridges museums, digital practices, and indigenous rights.

Her work examines museums as knowledge producers, postcolonial museology, and the social impact of historical photographic collections. Notable projects include CHAPTER and Mindscapes: Polish Folk Art and the Holocaust. She has curated exhibitions at institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and chairs the Royal Anthropological Institute Photography Committee.

• Key awards: 2012 John Collier Prize for Moving Images
• Editorial roles: Founding editor of Anthropology and Photography (open access)
• Key collaborations: Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, East West Gallery

Her grants and advisory roles focus on digital heritage, cultural property, and decolonizing museum practices. Current initiatives emphasize creative industries and community-driven cultural preservation.