Michael Ashley

Michael Ashley is the Media Vault Program Manager. He received his PhD from UC Berkeley in 2004. Entitled ‘An Archaeology of Vision,’ his dissertation focused on digging beneath the ‘subjectivity barrier’ of human consciousness and how this articulates with the practice of our discipline. His interest in human vision and neuroaesthetics intersects with his passion for new media and is well-suited (he thinks) for working as an archaeologist in the digital age. At the University of California, Berkeley, he is a Visiting Lecturer and the Executive Director of the Multimedia Authoring Center for Teaching in Anthropology, where students and faculty develop digital literacy through inquiry-based learning. Most recently, he joined the board of Cultural Heritage Imaging, a not-for-profit organization working to develop digital documentation programs in cultural heritage stewardship. He hopes to continue working in the fields of vision, media, archaeology and cultural heritage until the end of his days. If this could somehow be combined with rock climbing and martial arts, all the better.