Zachary A. Nissen
Assistant Professor of Instruction
University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
Northwestern University
Zachary Nissen (he/him/his) is a Weinberg College Adviser and Assistant Professor of Instruction in the Department of Anthropology. Dr. Nissen is trained as an Anthropological Archaeologist with a background in Gender and Sexuality Studies and a regional focus on the Maya of Central America. He received his BA in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and then his MA and PhD in Anthropology from Northwestern University. His research at the Ancient Maya city of Aventura, Belize has utilized archaeological investigations of ordinary people’s households to examine the relationship between inequality and urban longevity. In addition to this archaeological research, Dr. Nissen has co-organized community engagement events and worked with colleagues on the Aventura Archaeology Project to create inclusive, ethical, and collaborative research environments for students, scholars, and community stakeholders in Belize. In the classroom, Dr. Nissen takes an interdisciplinary and global approach to the study of cities, inequality, and issues pertaining to gender/sexuality throughout human history. Off campus, he can often be found with his husband and two dogs walking by the lake, reading historical fiction, or watching/discussing the most recent Drag Race episode with friends. 