On the latest episode of AnthroPuzzled, we sit down with data scientist and entrepreneur Stephen Paff who blends anthropology, math, and machine learning to understand people through data.

With a background in both anthropology and mathematics, he approaches data science as a social science at its core, using technical tools to answer questions about human behavior, decision-making, and culture. His work spans high-stakes environments, from analyzing data during COVID-19 in a New York hospital system to leading large-scale insights work at Google.

Now, as the founder of Idea Corner LLC, he applies a bottom-up, anthropological approach to building products, focusing on what people actually need rather than forcing top-down solutions. He also breaks down misconceptions about math and programming, emphasizing that these are learnable skills and encouraging students to explore data science in accessible ways before committing to advanced degrees.

Listen now to explore how anthropology is reshaping data science, and why understanding people is at the center of it all.

On the latest episode of AnthroPuzzled, we sit down with a technology strategist who blends anthropology with tech to guide organizations in making smarter, people-centered investments.

With a background in both technology and anthropology, Minakshi uses ethnographic interviews to uncover the real challenges teams face, going beyond surface-level needs to understand workplace culture, internal dynamics, and decision-making processes. Her approach prioritizes people over technology, ensuring that solutions are built around human experiences rather than imposed systems.

Working primarily in risk and compliance, her role focuses on shaping long-term technology strategies, from annual planning to multi-year investment decisions. By applying anthropological thinking throughout the process, Minakshi helps organizations anticipate challenges, reduce friction, and build systems that actually work for employees.

Listen now to explore how anthropology is transforming the way we build, implement, and think about technology.

On the latest episode of AnthroPuzzled, we sit down with Celia Orsini, an archaeologist and writer with a PhD in early medieval archaeology from the University of La Sorbonne and the founder of Archaeology for Well-Being.

Celia applies archaeological knowledge, heritage, and material culture to support mental health, connection, and team cohesion in contemporary workplaces. Through immersive workshops, she uses the past to help individuals and teams reflect on identity, belonging, and well-being in ways that are accessible, inclusive, and grounded in shared human experience.

Rather than treating archaeology as something confined to museums or academic research, Celia's work reframes it as a practical tool for addressing modern challenges such as stress, isolation, and disconnection. Her sessions draw on universal themes like landscape, food, and healing, using storytelling, sensory engagement, and reflection to foster curiosity, empathy, and a stronger sense of community. Her work bridges archaeology and well-being, translating insights from past societies into meaningful practices for the present.

Listen now to learn how archaeology can support well-being and why the past still matters in shaping healthier, more connected lives.

On the latest episode of AnthroPuzzled, we sit down with Celia Emmelhainz, an anthropologist, librarian, and archivist whose work focuses on preserving, managing, and ethically sharing anthropological knowledge. With graduate training in anthropology and library science, Celia has worked at institutions including UC Berkeley, Harvard, and the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, supporting researchers, communities, and collections across libraries, archives, and museums.

Celia's work bridges qualitative research data management and anthropological archiving, from helping scholars securely organize and describe their digital field materials to stewarding paper records, photographs, audio, and film from earlier generations of anthropologists. A central part of her approach is ensuring that descendant and Indigenous communities can access their own cultural materials in respectful, community-driven ways, while navigating issues of digitization, data sovereignty, and emerging technologies like AI.

She also reflects on how anthropological training shapes archival practice, bringing attention to complexity, ethics, power, and absence in systems that often demand neat categorization.

Listen now to learn how anthropology lives on through archives, and why preservation, access, and care matter for the future of the discipline.

On the latest episode of AnthroPuzzled, we sit down with Abdul Alyousef, an anthropologist and interdisciplinary consultant whose work brings cultural heritage and social insight into business and development. Trained across construction management, anthropology, and international development, Abdul is the founder of Seventh Bridge Consulting, a cultural heritage consultancy that works with developers, organizations, and institutions on projects ranging from property development to global expansion.

At Seventh Bridge, Abdul leads teams of anthropologists, archaeologists, and development experts to integrate cultural knowledge into strategy from the very beginning. Rather than treating culture as a constraint or risk to manage, his work positions lived experience, history, and community values as essential foundations for sustainable growth. Through ethnographic and heritage-based research, he helps clients understand how communities will engage with, resist, or reshape development initiatives.

Abdul also reflects on the ethical responsibilities of applying anthropology in commercial contexts, emphasizing reciprocity, accountability, and community benefit.

Listen now to hear how anthropology, heritage, and strategy come together to shape more ethical, effective, and culturally grounded development.

On the latest episode of AnthroPuzzled, we sit down with Dr. Heather Smith, a cultural anthropologist, public scholar, and digital nomad whose work centers on disaster research, mental wellness, and community care. Trained at American University, Heather's ethnographic research examines how emergency managers, first responders, and victim advocates navigate the social and emotional aftermath of natural disasters in the United States.

Drawing on her personal background and fieldwork with practitioners, Heather highlights the often-overlooked mental health impacts of disasters, both on affected communities and on those tasked with responding to crises. Her postdoctoral work extends this focus to mental wellness among marginalized communities, including low-income populations, women, and children.

Committed to public anthropology, Heather works outside traditional academic spaces to make anthropological knowledge accessible through writing, teaching, volunteering, and interdisciplinary collaboration. She also reflects on nontraditional academic paths, working full time while earning a PhD, and the importance of networks like the Bill Anderson Fund in supporting underrepresented scholars in disaster research.

Listen now to learn how anthropology informs disaster response, mental wellness, and community resilience beyond the university.

On the latest episode of AnthroPuzzled, we sit down with Dawn Nafus, a social anthropologist who spent over twenty years working as a research scientist and leader at Intel.

In her job as a research scientist Dawn spent a lot of time in the lab figuring out new product innovation. She had to research which technologies were the most important to produce for consumer demands. Through user research and applied ethnography, she helped guide decisions about product design, market strategy, and innovation across global contexts. As her role evolved, Dawn also became deeply involved in governance work, helping develop ethical guardrails around AI, bias, and technological harm as these systems moved from research labs into the world.

She reflects on what it looks like to do anthropology inside a large corporation, how research priorities change with seniority, and why anthropological ways of thinking are especially well suited to identifying ethical risks, questioning assumptions, and shaping more responsible technologies.

Listen now to learn about anthropology in the tech industry and why it matters.

On the latest episode of AnthroPuzzled, we sit down with Miles Jordan, a photographer and PhD student in anthropology at Louisiana State University whose work bridges visual arts, ethnography, and place-based research.

Miles is currently developing an intergenerational ethnography of the New Orleans music scene in the decades following Hurricane Katrina. Drawing on his lifelong connection to the city, and his background as a nationally exhibited photographer, he examines how musicians across generations have experienced cultural, spatial, and economic change in a post-Katrina landscape.

As both an insider and researcher, Miles reflects on the opportunities and challenges of studying his hometown, navigating familiarity, bias, and access while expanding beyond his own social networks. He also discusses how visual methods like photography and video can function as data, amplify interlocutors' voices, and make anthropological research more accessible beyond traditional academic texts.

Listen now to learn how anthropology, photography, and music come together to document change, memory, and cultural resilience in New Orleans.