Katherine Browne

Katherine Browne is University Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Her disaster research concerns how cultural identities and a sense of agency shape trajectories of resilience.

Browne’s Katrina-based research culminated in a documentary film with Emmy winning filmmaker Ginny Martin. Still Waiting: Life After Katrina was broadcast on PBS stations (US and Canada).

Her general audience book, Standing in the Need: Culture, Comfort, and Coming Home After Katrina was published in 2015 (U Texas). Browne is conducting NSF-funded research among post-Harvey families in Southeast Texas to document how decision-making reflects risk and interdependencies.

Browne co-founded and co-directs the Culture and Disaster Action Network (CADAN), bringing academics and practitioners together to integrate culture into models of risk reduction, recovery, and resilience. She led a CADAN team in presenting a ‘Culture-Based DRR’ at the 2017 Global Platform in Mexico. Browne gave a Distinguished Lecture at NSF in 2016 and has received numerous teaching awards.

Media interviews with Browne include broadcasts on PRI and NPR.