Justin Dunnavant

Dr. Justin Dunnavant is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology at UCLA. His current research in the U.S. Virgin Islands explores the relationship between ecology and enslavement in the former Danish West Indies.

In addition to his archaeological work, Dr. Dunnavant is a co-founder of the Society of Black Archaeologists and a certified AAUS Scientific SCUBA Diver. He was named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer in 2021 and inducted into The Explorers Club as one of “Fifty People Changing the World That You Need to Know About.” In 2022, he served as the Stafford Ellison Wright Black Alumni Scholar-in-Residence at Occidental College.

His research has been featured on Netflix’s Explained, Hulu’s Your Attention Please, and in American Archaeology, Science Magazine, and National Geographic Magazine.