Lindsey Langsdon Fox – Alumna Spotlight

Associate Director of Research IT, Vanderbilt University

Hometown: Germantown, TN
BA in Anthropology, minor in Geology (2008)
MS in Engineering Science, emphasis in Geology (2011)
LinkedIn Profile

 

What are some significant/favorite memories from your time at UM?
I did really love taking the anthropology classes.  Towards the end of my degree, I started to take geology classes and minored in it. I ended up pursuing a Masters in Geology and am currently finishing up a Masters in IT from Virginia Tech.

I loved taking anthropology classes with Ed Sisson and still remember well all that I learned about Mayan and Aztec empires.  He really did make it fun.  I selected anthropology because I found it fascinating to learn about how people lived before us and how that has shaped what we do and how we are today.

Please describe your career trajectory since graduation from UM.
My UM degrees well positioned my passion for research and the pursuit of my Masters. Since leaving UM, I have worked as Research Staff for Civil Engineering at Vanderbilt University, specializing in Geographic Information Systems. I moved on to support research through my role in Vanderbilt Libraries for 5 years, developing methodology and support services for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as the GIS Coordinator. After that, I served as Research IT Consultant and now Associate Director of Research IT at Vanderbilt University. I help to produce, manage, and implement programs and services geared to increase the success and support of research IT on campus. I work with various campus entities to produce workflows that connect end-to-end our Vanderbilt researchers and scholars to deploy IT for research.

What is the value of studying anthropology in today’s world?
There is value in understanding people of the past and how cultures shape today.