Get to know three of the Department of Anthropology's newest faculty members
The Center for Comparative Archaeology welcomes Dela Kuma, Jen Muller, and Steven Goldstein to Pitt!
Read their stories:
Dela Kuma:
Dela Kuma is an anthropological archaeologist who specializes in the archaeology of global encounters in Atlantic-era West Africa. She has been teaching at Pitt since 2022. Kuma first became interested in the subject during a high school history class on Egyptian Pharaohs where archaeology was discussed as a strategy for understanding the past. In the next few years at Pitt, Kuma looks forward to setting up the Laboratory of African Paleoarchaeobotany and Ethnoarchaeology (LAPEL). She’s also particularly excited to teach her Community Archaeology class this semester, which will help students navigate their own positionality in the research process and introduce them to community-engaged, sustainable, and collaborative approaches. Interacting with students and hearing about the trajectories of their research is one of Kuma’s favorite parts of teaching. For undergrads interested in studying archaeology, she recommends fully going for it and relishing every moment! Kuma finds it productive for new students to understand that archaeology is more than just digging in the dirt –the most gratifying part of the field is having the tools to make meaningful contributions to historical narratives. Outside of the classroom, Kuma enjoys cooking (especially Ghanaian dishes!), catching up on rest, and spending time with family and friends.
Visit her departmental faculty page, for more information about her research, publications and couses.
Jennifer Muller
Jennifer Muller is a historical bioarchaeologist whose research explores the biological consequences of discrimination‐based inequities in 19th and 20th-century African diasporic populations and the institutionalized poor. She has been the Director of Undergraduate Studies at Pitt’s Department of Anthropology since 2022. At the beginning of her college career, Muller focused on anatomy and medicine. When her studies were interrupted by a medical emergency, she enrolled in a four-field anthropology course at a local community college during her recovery. This introduction to anthropology prompted her to immediately change her degree; her earlier interest in the human skeleton and musculature led her to specialize in bioanthropology. She’s excited to "flesh out" the bioanthropology side of the department here at Pitt, and is especially looking forward to working alongside a new bioanth hire in these upcoming years! Muller’s favorite part of her job comes from her role as an advisor –she finds it very fulfilling to help undergraduate students find their niche within the field. She recommends taking a diversity of classes and emphasizes the importance of a well-versed understanding of the subfields of anthropology outside of your immediate interests. Muller’s current favorite hobbies are biking, gardening, and trying new restaurants around the city.
Visit her departmental faculty page, for more information about her research, publications and couses.
Steven Goldstein
Steven Goldstein is an anthropological archaeologist who studies long-term relationships between food systems, mobility, climate change, and technology over the last 12,000 years in eastern and southeastern Africa. He has been teaching at Pitt since 2022. Goldstein’s passion for archaeology began at an elementary school book fair, where he vividly remembers flipping through a book on Ancient Egypt and being immediately drawn in. Later on, guidance from a professor who worked in East Africa led him to focus on his particular field of study. He recommends that undergraduates studying anthropology take diverse classes and talk with their professors –both help clarify interests within the field and can open the door to unique opportunities and connections. Goldstein spent the last few years working mainly on research with the Max Planck Institute, but has missed teaching and is enjoying being back in the classroom! This spring at Pitt, he’s most excited to teach Archaeology of Ancient Egypt. Goldstein also looks forward to taking on PhD students (fingers crossed!) and getting the geoarchaeology lab up and running over the next couple of years. Cooking is Goldstein’s favorite way to relax on his off days –Sunday night pizza or pasta dinners are a particular favorite.
Visit his departmental faculty page, for more information about his research, publications and couses.