Staff Profile

Jacob Campbell is an Environmental Anthropologist with the Keller Science Action Center, where he leads the social science team for the Chicago region, and Adjunct Curator of Anthropology in the Negaunee Integrated Research Center. His applied research, pedagogy, and partnership building has focused on cultural connections to the natural world in urban and peri-urban areas. He works collaboratively across Chicago to create more equitable city institutions and green spaces that help communities thrive. He specializes in participatory research that informs decision-making about biodiversity conservation, community-centered land management, and public space design. Along with museum colleagues, Jacob established and sustains the Roots & Routes initiative with the Chicago Park District and a network of community leaders, artists, and organizations. In Pembroke Township, he co-leads a multidisciplinary museum team that conducts research and supports planning with local landowners, regional agencies, and conservation stakeholders. 

Jacob serves on the board of the Chicago Cultural Alliance as the Field Museum liaison. He is adjunct professor of environmental science at DePaul University and a fellow with Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Jacob’s approach to community-based research and applied anthropology has emerged through two decades of work with groups that include the Zuni Tribe, Gulf Coast fisherman, and Trinidadian oilfield workers.