Judith Bense

Judith Bense is Professor Emeritus and Professor of Anthropology at the University of West Florida, where she founded the Anthropology/Archaeology program. She established the Florida Public Archaeology Network (FPAN) and served as UWF president (2008-2016), significantly expanding campus infrastructure and academic programs.

Research Focus: Her scholarship centers on Spanish colonial presidios, public archaeology frameworks, and Southeastern U.S. terrestrial archaeology. She employs interdisciplinary methods to analyze cultural interactions in colonial contexts.

Awards:

• JC Harrington Medal (lifetime achievement in historical archaeology)
• Order of Isabella de Catholica (for advancing Spain's cultural legacy)