Faculty Profile for Dr. Angela VandenBroek
Dr. Angela VandenBroek
Assistant Professor — Anthropology
ELA 271A
phone: (512) 245-8272
Biography Section
Biography and Education
I'm a sociocultural anthropologist researching technologies, innovation, and business as an assistant professor at Texas State University. In addition to a PhD in anthropology from Binghamton University, I have more than thirteen years of experience as an applied anthropologist in information technologies, design, marketing, and organizational strategy. My work sits at the intersection of business and design anthropology and science and technology studies. I examine how ambitions for better futures by states, citizens, and entrepreneurs are shaped by innovation culture and its infrastructures. I have conducted extensive fieldwork in Stockholm’s "unicorn factory" entrepreneurial ecosystem, revealing the interplay between hype stories and innovation practice.Teaching Interests
Anthropological methods, ethics, and theory; Social Impact and Innovation; and Design AnthropologyResearch Interests
Science and Technology Studies (STS); Feminist STS; Business Anthropology; Design anthropology; Applied Anthropology; Innovation; Entrepreneurship; Technologies; Design; Futures and Foresight; Expertise; Ignorance and Agnotology; and InfrastructureSelected Scholarly/Creative Work
- VandenBroek, A. K. (2024). Tactics for Anthropology + Design Beyond the Academic & Applied Binary. In C. Miller & J. M. Spears (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Practicing Anthropology and Design. Routledge. Retrieved from https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-Companion-to-Practicing-Anthropology-and-Design/Spears-Miller/p/book/9781032374161
- VandenBroek, A. K., & Koycheva, L. (2024). Sandbox Innovation: Potentials and Impacts. Practicing Anthropology, 46(1), 36–45. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1080/08884552.2024.2307293
- VandenBroek, A. K. (2022). Pitching Hype: Storytelling and Entrepreneurship. In E. Liebow & J. C. McKenna (Eds.), Anthropology and Entrepreneurship: The Current State of Research and Practice (pp. 49–57). Arlington, VA, USA: American Anthropological Association with support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. Retrieved from https://entrepreneur.americananthro.org/
- Carnes, M., VandenBroek, A. K., & Brunson, E. K. (2024). Human Centered Design for Applied Anthropology. Annals of Anthropological Practice, 48(2), 168–185. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/napa.12223
- Taylor, N., & VandenBroek, A. K. (2024). Penciling: An Anonymization Method for Social Media Images. Field Methods, OnlineFirst. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X241259941
Selected Awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Award of Excellence for Dedicated Service and Outstanding Accomplishments, Committee for the Anthropology of Science, Technology, & Computing in the General Anthropology Division of the American Anthropological Association. 2020
- Award / Honor Recipient: CLS ProQuest Innovation in College Librarianship Award, College Libraries Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries. 2010
- Award / Honor Recipient: Irmgard H. Wolfe Award for Best Graduate Paper in Anthropology, Department of Anthropology at the University of Southern Mississippi. 2008
- Award / Honor Recipient: Walton Boston Koch Distinguished Merit Scholarship, Department of Anthropology at Grand Valley State University. 2005
Selected Service Activities
Director
Innovative Anthropologies Lab
August 23, 2021-Present
Member
Anthropology Department Chair Hiring Committee
January 17, 2025-Present
Advisory Board Member
Silicon Island: Building Equitable Tech Futures in Out of the Way Places (Danish Research Fund)
2024-Present
Chair
Anthropology Brownbag & Speaker Series
August 22, 2024-Present
Member
Internship Committee
September 18, 2023-Present