Lecture: Underwater Archaeologist Ashley Lemke

https://calendar.uga.edu/event/lecture-underwater-archaeologist-ashley-lemke

Thursday, April 2, 2026 5:30pm

Ashley Lemke is an archaeologist and an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Her visit is presented by the Georgia Museum of Natural History, the department of anthropology, the Laboratory of Archaeology, and the Archaeology Institute of America, in partnership with the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts. It is part of the 2026 UGA Humanities Festival and the Willson Center’s Global Georgia public events series.

Lemke received her Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Michigan. An expert on submerged ancient sites, she has received grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Her books include Anthropological Archaeology Underwater and The Architecture of Hunting. She has directed research projects in North America and below its waters, including in the Great Lakes and Atlantic Ocean. She has conducted archaeological research in Europe in Germany, Spain, Romania, and Serbia.

Lemke collaborates with computer scientists to explore applications of virtual worlds, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality for archaeological research and discovery. She previously taught at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she received the President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Outstanding Teaching Award for Tenure Track Faculty, and was inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers. Lemke is a past chair of the Advisory Council on Underwater Archaeology and Fellow of The Explorers Club.