Laura Phillips

Laura Phillips is a Lecturer in Museum Studies at the University of Oklahoma's School of Library and Information Studies. She holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University (Canada), focusing on decolonizing museum practices through community-based research. Her career spans over 20 years in GLAM sectors across England, Qatar, Canada, and the U.S. She specializes in Indigenous curation, museum decolonization, and settler accountability. Phillips is unavailable for doctoral/master’s supervision but actively publishes on topics like truth-telling in museums and peer review reform.

Research Interests: Decolonizing museum frameworks, Indigenous knowledge systems, settler colonialism critique, and institutional ethics. Her work emphasizes reimagining museum spaces beyond Euro-Enlightenment paradigms through collaborations with Indigenous communities.

Key Contributions: Guest-edited a special issue on Indigenous collections for *Collections: A Journal for Museum and Archives Professionals*, published decolonial glossaries for museum practitioners, and co-authored influential critiques of colonial exhibition practices. Recent work includes studies of the First Americans Museum's Indigenous-led governance model.

Grants & Awards: No specific grants mentioned, but her work aligns with Truth and Reconciliation Commission principles and UNDRIP frameworks. Her research has been featured in *ICOM Voices*, *Museum Worlds*, and *Museums International*.

Labs/Initiatives: Part of OU's Museum Studies program focusing on digital humanities applications in decolonial practices. Collaborates with international institutions like Harvard University's Native American Program and Canada's Aanischaaukamikw Cree Cultural Institute.