Formerly of University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), Danielle Kurin, PhD, teaches graduate and undergraduate anthropological courses at institutions. In addition to teaching, Dr. Danielle Kurin has used her expertise in anthropology to help others, including Kim Cantin, a mother who lost her son in a 2018 mudslide.

Dr. Kurin researches civilizations in the Andes, including Peru. As the founding Director of Walker Bioarchaeology & Forensic Bone Lab, she supervised students as they learn to analyze human bones and remains. This analysis involves examining DNA, isotopes, and other environmental factors to determine what might have happened to decedents recovered during excavation.

In 2018, Dr. Kurin and her team at the Walker Bioarchaeology & Forensic Bone Lab aided a mother who only wanted answers after her son, Jack Cantin, went missing in a Montecito mudslide. She oversaw the team that treated the area where they believe Cantin's remains might have been like an archaeological excavation, targeting hot zones within 110 acres.

The process involved reviewing old archival records, coroner’s reports, testimonies, videos, photos, and satellite images of the disaster area. Survey work, soil sampling, test-pitting, and large-scale excavations were also a part of the operation. Dr. Kurin also enlisted teams of dogs that detect human bone and tissue to find the young man.

Danielle Kurin