Megan Crutcher, Ph.D.
I'm a public historian and maritime archaeologist writing and teaching about how African sailors shaped the history of the Atlantic World.
I am an incoming Assistant Professor of History in the Department of History and Philosophy at the University of West Florida (2026). From 2025-2026, I was the Ann Plato Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut where I taught courses in maritime archaeology, West African and Atlantic history and archaeology, and conservation and preservation of cultural heritage.
I earned my Ph.D. in Anthropology (Nautical Archaeology Program) from Texas A&M University in 2025. I hold an M.A. in Public History from Duquesne University (2020) and a B.A. in History from Grove City College.
My research interests, broadly, lie in historical archaeology, postmedieval archaeology, public history, maritime archaeology, and maritime history of the Atlantic and African coasts, and I have a long-term research focus on Liberia. I also maintain professional interest and experience in conservation and collections care, museum studies, material culture studies, and heritage and memory. My interdisciplinary writing has appeared in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology, the Journal of Social History, the International Journal of Historical Archaeology, Critical African Studies, the Journal of African History, Maritime Studies, and other outlets, and has won several research awards.
I am an incoming Assistant Professor of History in the Department of History and Philosophy at the University of West Florida (2026). From 2025-2026, I was the Ann Plato Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut where I taught courses in maritime archaeology, West African and Atlantic history and archaeology, and conservation and preservation of cultural heritage.
I earned my Ph.D. in Anthropology (Nautical Archaeology Program) from Texas A&M University in 2025. I hold an M.A. in Public History from Duquesne University (2020) and a B.A. in History from Grove City College.
My research interests, broadly, lie in historical archaeology, postmedieval archaeology, public history, maritime archaeology, and maritime history of the Atlantic and African coasts, and I have a long-term research focus on Liberia. I also maintain professional interest and experience in conservation and collections care, museum studies, material culture studies, and heritage and memory. My interdisciplinary writing has appeared in the Journal of Maritime Archaeology, the Journal of Social History, the International Journal of Historical Archaeology, Critical African Studies, the Journal of African History, Maritime Studies, and other outlets, and has won several research awards.
In Liberia, I am co-principal investigator and co-founder with Prince D. Kondeh of the Kru Coast Heritage Initiative, a public history project investigating Indigenous heritage in Liberia.
I have also collaborated with international teams from several countries to complete material culture studies, archaeological excavations, historical archival research, monitoring of archaeological sites, and curation/analysis of material culture across Europe, the Americas, and Africa. I am a PADI-certified Rescue Diver.
I have also collaborated with international teams from several countries to complete material culture studies, archaeological excavations, historical archival research, monitoring of archaeological sites, and curation/analysis of material culture across Europe, the Americas, and Africa. I am a PADI-certified Rescue Diver.