Angela K. VandenBroek, PhD Anthropologist of Innovation (and all the hype that entails)

Mentoring

Current Availability

Prospective MA & PhD Students

I typically maintain 4-5 positions in my graduate student workgroup with 1-2 positions opening each year. For more information, see the TXST Anthropology MA program and Applied Anthropology PhD program websites.

Interested in working with me as a graduate student? This is what I look for in student applications.

1. Does the student meet the minimum qualifications? Applications are rejected by the graduate college before I even see them, if students do not meet the minimum GPA and application requirements. I cannot change these, including fees and testing requirements, as these are college-level decisions.
   • Application Tip: Review the admission requirements (e.g., GPA, test scores, etc.) on the TXST website and direct any questions to the TXST Graduate College before applying.
2. Do I have the expertise and experience necessary to support this student? I only accept students who have research interests and goals in areas that I have sufficient ability to support. Generally, this includes ethnography-based research with a focus in one of my research areas, such as science and technology studies, organizational or business anthropology, design anthropology, or digital anthropology. However, I also accept students who approach their interests through other theoretical or topical overlaps with me, including the anthropologies of expertise, knowledge, infrastructure, futures and foresight, and so on.
   • Application Tip:  Present a clear and thorough explanation of your research interests and learning goals for the MA or PhD Program. Read through this website, including my research and students' research to get an idea of what areas I support. If you're unsure, send me an email with your interests.
3. Is this student a good fit for my mentorship, specifically? I prefer to have a collaborative and engaged relationship with my students. This includes meeting with my students usually once a week during the school year, workshopping projects and ideas together, communicating regularly, and providing ongoing feedback on work-in-progress. I expect my students to be curious and open to new ideas, enjoy feedback and collaboration, and be good communicators. I also expect students to be professional and self-motivated. While I am available to offer support and mentorship, I believe students are responsible for their own journey through the program—including knowing and meeting deadlines, asking for help when they need it, and taking ownership of their work.
   • Application Tip:   If you want to work with me specifically, state that in your letter of interest (and include other faculty you may be interested in working with as well). Also demonstrate that you have succeeded or will succeed in a mentorship relationship like I've described. If you prefer a different mentorship style (e.g., hands-off, strictly managed, or something else), that is ok! But I strongly suggest seeking out a mentor who matches your energy so that you get the most out of graduate school. A poor research fit is far easier to overcome than a poor working-style fit when it comes to advisor-advisee relationships.
4. Does our program have the resources and capacities to support this student? Every graduate program is different, including what learning opportunities are available, degree of program flexibility, stated missions and goals, areas of expertise, and funding. So, I look for evidence that students would be well supported by our program. For example, our MA and PhD programs are separate and so incoming PhD students are expected to already have an MA level understanding of anthropology. Our programs are not as flexible as others—students are expected to complete the program in 2 years (MA) or 5 years (PhD) with strict milestones along the way. Finally, our PhD program is an applied anthropology program that trains students to produce actionable knowledge and work across diverse career pathways (including academics).
   • Application Tip:  Review the program requirements and description on the TXST website and make a case for why this program, specifically, would support your learning, research, and career goals.
5. Is this student prepared for our graduate program? Relatedly, I look for evidence in each application that the student has the preparation, skills, experience, and professionalism to succeed and thrive.
   • Application Tip: Present a focused and feasible research area for your thesis/dissertation. This does not need to be completely fleshed out as things will likely change during your time in the program. Instead, show me that you have a solid understanding of your own interests, that you are capable of formulating compelling and ethical research questions—it is ok if they are underdeveloped or preliminary— and know how to appropriately scope research for the program timeline.
   • Application Tip: Share your skills and experiences that have prepared you for graduate school. This need not be specialized internships or fieldwork experience. The most difficult aspects of graduate school aren't theory or methods—they're time management, stress management, professional maturity, self-motivation, and self-efficacy. Focus on demonstrating these in your letter of interest. Demonstrate that you are ready to take on this role.

Mentorship

Throughout my career I have had the privilege and benefit of having generous mentors who helped me navigate my academic and professional journeys. Whenever I am able, I am happy to meet and email with students, junior professionals, and peers seeking mentorship. Please reach out via email at [email protected] and explain in what areas you are seeking mentorship (e.g., research, professionalization, transitioning to practicing career, etc.) and why you think I am a good person to help you (e.g., shared research interests, shared professional interests, etc.). These should just be a sentence or so each—just enough to help me understand if I have the knowledge and experience to support you or if I should recommend a more suitable connection.

I also highly recommend CASTAC-Net, The CASTAC Mentorship Program. We pair up people based on mentorship interests before the AAA Annual Meeting each year for in-person or virtual meetups.

Alumni

I have had the absolute pleasure of working with phenomenal graduate students who constantly inspire me. I am so proud to share these completed theses.

Annemarie Teagle

MA (2026)

Research Areas: Grateful Dead, deadheads, kindness, gifting, creativity, liminality, communitas

Thesis: "If You Get Confused...": Deadhead Values in a Changing Musical Landscape

Deadheads have utilized live concerts as jam-band havens to experience the phenomena of the Grateful Dead. It is a space for shared beliefs, ways of living, and fans of the music to exist in a safe space. For decades, Deadhead culture has maintained a strong sense of community despite changes to the band and its performances. Drawing on participant observation at Dead & Company performances and semi-structured interviews with fans, I focus on practices such as gifting, miracle tickets, creative expression, and communal dancing. By framing concerts as liminal spaces, this study demonstrates how ritual practice sustains community identity and value systems within the Deadhead subculture.

Ian Whitehead

MA (2025)

Research Areas: cultural anthropology, RV parks, archaeology

Thesis: Ethnology of Older People Living in RV Parks

This research aimed to investigate the experiences of older people living in RV parks. There are numerous options for older citizens to consider when deciding how to spend their retirement years. We live much longer now and generally have 20 - 30 years to fulfill. Between 2010 and 2020, the U.S. Population aged 65 and over experienced the fastest increase in the older population since the 1880s-1890s. The 65 and older demographic increased by 15.5 million during this period. This growth was primarily driven by aging baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) who began turning 65 in 2011. (Census.gov). The primary concern for retirees is how to achieve a “good life—a life that they value and find meaningful” (Fischer 2014, 202). Older people are a growing demographic, and the option to lead fulfilling lives in their later years is one of the most significant lifetime decisions they will make, which will significantly impact the quality of their final stage on this planet. This study will investigate how and why older people are building good lives in RV parks beyond the aspirational stories popular in RV and “van life” influencer blogs and social media and the marketing materials of RV organizations and businesses. However, the growing number of older people moving to RV parks and the expansion of RV parks suggest that this choice is a viable alternative, or perhaps even a preferred way of life, for some in their later years. I argue that RV living may fulfill more than just basic needs and offer a better quality of life beyond mere subsistence. In the following chapters, this research examines the experiences of older adults who reside in RV parks. It establishes the various motivations and reasons why this demographic chose this lifestyle.

Manar Naser

MA (2025)

Research Areas: digital anthropology, science and technology studies, AI, social media, internet culture

Thesis: The Future is Here: AI Philosophies Among Central Texas Entreprenerus

The discussion, hype, and production of technologies entrepreneurs are calling AI have surged over the past several years. Hype surrounding AI has shaped the way we think about it. Whether we view AI as a boon or bane in society is partially dependent on who or what we listen to and the subsequent ideas and philosophies we adopt. In this thesis, I decided to explore this concept among entrepreneurs in Central Texas to investigate how they think about AI and, therefore, the future. I aim to answer the following question: How do AI philosophies influence Central Texas entrepreneurs’ conceptions and ambitions for the future? This question is answered in several ways, but they ultimately lead to the same conclusion: ideologies and values from leaders in Big Tech trickle down into local entrepreneurial ecosystems, thus disseminating ideas of the future that promote inequality and isolated innovation. AI philosophies are present in entrepreneurial ecosystems through meetups, mentorships, and professional organizations. These philosophies push an insular form of innovation that relies on narratives of hype rather than positive societal impact.

Anna Huntington

MA (2024)

Research Areas: infrastructure, citizenship, communities, neoliberalism, capitalism, design, advocacy

Thesis: Pedaling Through Citizenship in San Marcos

Cycling and bike infrastructure are an important part of modern city design. Cycling Citizenship explores the relationship cyclists have with the state through road infrastructure. It is a type of infrastructural citizenship where certain rights and protections are not always guaranteed. Through participant observation and 20 interviews with local cyclists, I argue that cycling citizenship is characterized by prioritizing safety in the face of neoliberal development practice’s power ecosystem. The result of this study concludes that when the state prioritizes cars over other modes of mobility using infrastructure as a medium with infrastructure funding, design, and enforcement, it creates an unsafe environment for non-cars. Roads then become a medium of segmentation for the community. The type of advocacy that cyclists employ then are the choices they make on the road to prioritize their safety while transforming the space from a transportation one to a sustainable, healthy, acts of choices multilayered and situated within a community.

Britney Treviño

MA (2023)

Research Areas: disability, invisible disability, delegitimization, disability identity, medical invisibility, legitimation, social model of disability, critical disability theory

Thesis: No, I'm Not Too Young to be Disabled": The Intersection of Age and Invisibility in the Delegitimizing Experiences of Disabled Young Adults

Sixty-one million adults in the United States are living with a disability. Of those, 10% are conditions that are “invisible.” Invisible disability is not as easily seen as the outwardly expressed, highly visible disabilities that most people think of, and consequently may be overlooked in an able-bodied society. Young adulthood is commonly thought to be the healthiest time in a person’s life, as well as a developmental stage where independence, social relationships, and identity are expanded. Experiences of invisible disability during young adulthood contradict the social expectations and stereotypes about disability. My research steps into the various spheres of invisibly disabled young adults’ lives to understand how the intersection of age and visibility come together to produce experiences of delegitimization—the questioning, judging, and challenging of claims to disability by others—in the negotiations of identity and experiences in education, employment, and medical care. Through interviewing participants about their experiences with disability, and my own experiences as an invisibly disabled young adult, I have found that the interplay of age and visibility produce unique experiences of delegitimization in all aspects of life, increases the barriers for invisibly disabled young adults to achieve adulthood, and suspends invisibly disabled young adults into liminal spaces in multiple areas of their lives, from identity to independence.