Traci Brynne Voyles

Traci Brynne Voyles is Professor and Department Head of History at North Carolina State University. She specializes in environmental history with a focus on United States history from the mid-19th to 20th centuries, examining the intersections of colonialism, race, gender, and environmental justice. Her research explores topics including uranium mining in Navajo Country, California's Salton Sea, and the history of natural childbirth.

Her educational background includes a Ph.D. from University of California San Diego and postdoctoral fellowship at University of California Davis. She previously held faculty positions at Loyola Marymount University and University of Oklahoma.

Research interests span environmental justice, settler colonialism, indigenous studies, and gender/environment intersections. Her work connects historical patterns of environmental racism with contemporary issues of health disparities and land rights.

Publications demonstrate consistent focus on racialized environmental impacts, with recent work examining anti-vaccination rhetoric through environmental justice frameworks. Award-winning books have established new frameworks for understanding colonial environmental legacies.

• 2022 Caughey Prize for Most Distinguished Work on the American West
• 2022 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
• 2016 Southwest Book Award

As department head, she leads research initiatives and advises students in environmental history and race/gender studies. Her work has been featured in national media outlets and interdisciplinary collaborations.