Meryl Shriver-Rice

Meryl Shriver-Rice, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Ecology at Rutgers University and Director of Research at the Institute for American Indian Studies Museum. Her work bridges environmental anthropology, archaeology, and decolonial theory, focusing on human-environment interactions, Indigenous knowledge systems, and climate resilience. She specializes in community-based participatory research (CBPR) and ethical approaches to digital heritage preservation.

Her research spans multiple regions, including coastal heritage preservation in Florida, historical ecology studies in Tuscany (Italy), and Indigenous futures in the Caribbean and North America. Notable projects include the 'Coastal Heritage at Risk Taskforce' (CHART) and the Potentino Exploration Project in Seggiano. She co-edits the Journal of Environmental Media and has served on grant review panels for the NEH and Danish Green Research initiatives.

Shriver-Rice holds a PhD from the University of Miami, where she also developed the interdisciplinary Environment, Culture, and Media master’s program. Her current book (co-authored with Sarah Hiepler) explores decolonial data ethics in wildlife conservation and museum practices. Recent publications address climate communication strategies, Etruscan environmental practices, and renewable energy feasibility studies.

• Director of Research: Institute for American Indian Studies Museum
• Co-Editor-in-Chief: Journal of Environmental Media
• Founding member: Allying for Diversity and Inclusion in Ethnobiology (ADIE)

Her work emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, with grants spanning environmental archaeology, media studies, and Indigenous rights advocacy. Ongoing projects include studying Black Seminole descendants' ecological knowledge and assessing climate risks to archaeological sites in Miami-Dade.