Todd Braje

Dr. Todd Braje is an anthropological archaeologist, associate professor, and Research Associate in Anthropology at the California Academy of Sciences. His research interests include the deep history of maritime migrations and adaptations, human-environmental ecodyamics, and historical ecological approaches to understanding hunter-gatherer-fishers. While he maintains field projects in Baja California and the Solomon Islands, the majority of his archaeological field research has been conducted on California’s Northern Channel Islands where he investigates the 13,000 year history of human-environmental interactions and the application of archaeological records to modern fisheries management. His diverse research includes fieldwork at some of the oldest sites along the New World Pacific Coast, occupied by Pleistocene maritime voyagers, and 19th century commercial abalone processing camps, created by Chinese immigrants during the California Gold Rush. Along with nearly 100 academic manuscripts, Dr. Braje has published two books, Shellfish for the Celestial Empire and Modern Oceans, Ancient Sites, and a co-edited volume, Human Impacts on Seals, Sea Lions, and Sea Otters.

Read: How Chinese Immigrants Built—and Lost—a Shellfish Industry

Watch: Ancient Discoveries in Channel Islands Aid in Marine Management

Listen: As New Discoveries Shake up Timeline of When People First Came to the Americas, How Do We Decide What’s True?