Anna Curtenius Roosevelt

Anna Curtenius Roosevelt is a Professor and UIC Distinguished Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), where she also serves as a Faculty Fellow of the Honors College. She holds a PhD (1977) and MA (1974) in Anthropology from Columbia University, and a BA in History (with Distinction) from Stanford University (1968).

Her research spans four fields of anthropology, focusing on social and biological evolution, human-environment interaction, and human rights. Key projects include studies of Pleistocene preceramic cultures in tropical forests, the history of complex societies in the Congo Basin, and the role of covert NATO interventions in the Congo's transition to independence. Her archaeological work in Brazil's Amazon revealed continuous occupation since 13,000 years ago, including the discovery of the Americas' earliest pottery (9,000 years old) in sedentary fishing villages. She has also studied early Formative cultures in the Orinoco and social organization in mound-building societies of Marajo Island and Santarem.

Roosevelt has curated major exhibitions at the Indian Museum and the Field Museum in Chicago. Her over 100 scientific articles and ten authored/co-authored books reflect her contributions to archaeology and anthropology. Her research has been funded by NSF, NEH, NEA, and Fulbright grants.