Todd Samuel Presner

Todd Samuel Presner is a Professor at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), holding appointments in the Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies, Digital Humanities, and Comparative Literature. He currently serves as Chair of the Department and Special Advisor to the Vice Chancellor for Research and Creative Activities (2018–present). Previously, he directed UCLA’s Digital Humanities Program (2011–21) and the Alan D. Leve Center for Jewish Studies (2011–18), later becoming Associate Dean of Digital Innovation (2018–21). He holds the Michael and Irene Ross Chair in the UCLA Division of the Humanities.

Presner’s research spans European intellectual and cultural history, Holocaust studies, digital humanities, and ethical technologies. His work explores how computational tools can enhance Holocaust testimony analysis, as seen in his forthcoming book Ethics of the Algorithm: Digital Humanities and Holocaust Memory (2024). He has also co-authored foundational texts like Digital_Humanities (2012) and Urban Humanities (2020), emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to cities and spatial justice.

His scholarly output includes 15 recent publications, focusing on algorithmic ethics, digital mapping, and Holocaust memory. These works often intersect digital humanities with critical theory, urban studies, and cultural history.

• 2008 MacArthur Foundation/HASTAC 'Digital Media and Learning' Prize for co-founding Hypercities.

Presner has co-led significant grants, including a $5M Mellon-funded Social Justice Curriculum (2021–2026), and directed the Hypercities project (2005–15), which maps urban histories. He also founded Mapping Jewish Los Angeles (2011–present), a digital anthology of LA’s Jewish history.