Katherine (Katie) L. Chiou, PhD

I am an Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alabama, trained as an archaeologist and paleoethnobotanist (B.A., Anthropology, New York University; M.A./Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley). My work centers on foodways across time and space—how people grow, share, politicize, and make meaning through food. My research spans ancient and present-day contexts, with ongoing projects in the Americas, and explores topics including plant domestication, culinary traditions, food insecurity, gastropolitics, and environmental change.

I co-founded and co-direct the Artificial Intelligence Teaching Enhancement Initiative (AITEI), which supports faculty in navigating the pedagogical and ethical dimensions of generative AI. In addition, I lead the STRAKER (Student Training in Responsible AI Knowledge and Ethics Research) Project, an NSF-funded initiative that adapts the case-based Ethics Bowl model to teach AI ethics in STEM classrooms. I have long been involved in advancing ethics education in archaeology and have organized the Society for American Archaeology’s (SAA) annual Ethics Bowl since 2017 alongside serving as a member/Chair of SAA’s Committee on Ethics, the Register for Professional Archaeologists’ Ethics Committee, and the SAA Task Force 3 charged with revising SAA’s Principles of Archaeological Ethics.

Katherine Chiou portrait

My work has been recognized through numerous awards for research, teaching, and service, including the SAA Dissertation Award, multiple SAA Presidential Recognition Awards, and university honors for pedagogical innovation, teaching excellence, and faculty development. Beyond the university, I am committed to public-facing scholarship and collaborative research. I strive to make scholarship accessible and impactful, fostering dialogue across disciplines, communities, and historical divides.

Sample Public Engagement and Press

Recorded Public Lectures

Magazines

Podcasts

  • Nathan, Smiti. (Host). (2025, July 1). Uncovering Today’s Hidden Foodways Through Archaeology [Video podcast episode]. In Curiosity Meets the Past. Dr. Smiti Nathan YouTube Channel.
  • Lewis, Eshe. (Host). (2023, April 18). People of the peppers [Audio podcast episode]. In SAPIENS: A Podcast for Everything Human. SAPIENS and Wenner-Gren Foundation. 
  • Shipma, Michael. (Host). (2024, September 20). Teachers Using AI in the Classroom [Audio podcast episode]. In Campus Conversations –The Alabama Independent School Association (AISA) Podcast. AISA.

YouTube  

Documentaries

Press

Office Location

24-D ten Hoor