HELLO, I'M
Daniela
Andean Archaeologist
Daniela Maria Raillard Arias
she | her | hers | ella | elle
Adjunct Professor
PhD Candidate
Master of Arts
Honours Bachelor of Arts
(with High Distinction)
About
ME
I am an archaeologist and PhD candidate specializing in the histories and cultures of the pre-colonial Andes in South America. My research involves landscape, ecology, and community-engagement. I have over a decade of experience in archaeology, I am trilingual, and I am dedicated to building equitable futures in my field.
MY BACKGROUND
From a young age, I've always wanted to learn more about Andean history, a curiosity sparked by my mother's stories and traditions from Colombia. I grew up in northern Canada, where being outdoors is the way of life, and my father, a Swiss biologist and mountaineer, also nurtured me with this lifestyle. These experiences shaped my interests in Andean archaeology.
Education
WHAT I’VE LEARNED
2021
PhD Candidate
Northwestern University, Department of Anthropology
Dissertation Proposal: Ancestral Monuments and Community Resilience During Periods of Ecological and Social Crisis in the Chachapoya Region, Peru
GPA: 3.959
2019
Master of Arts
Northwestern University, Department of Anthropology
Thesis: To Know the Dead: The production of mortuary landscapes through movement in the Chachapoya region, Peru
2016
Honours Bachelor of Arts with High Distinction
University of Toronto, Woodsworth College, St. George
Anthropology Major, Archaeology Major, Latin American Studies Minor
GPA: 3.5
2012
Ecole Mathieu-Martin, Secondary School Diploma
International Baccalaureate Certificate
Academic Honours
Experience
WHERE I’VE WORKED
2024-2025
Adjunct Professor - Sessional Instructor
Department of Anthropology
Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, CA
2022 - Present
Co-Director & Principal Investigator
Proyecto de Investigación Arqueológica MAPA-SACHA
2017 - Present
Graduate Researcher & Teacher's Assistant
Northwestern University, Evanston, USA
2017
Independent Researcher
Amazonas & Huanuco Departments, Peru
2016 - 2018
Assistant Archaeologist
Proyecto Arqueologico Tambillo, Leymebamba, Peru
​
August 2015
Assistant Archaeologist
Lac Leamy Public Excavation
National Capital Commission, Ottawa, Canada
May - August 2015
Tour Guide
Capital Cruises, Ottawa, Canada
January - April 2015
Laboratory Assistant
University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
July - August 2014
Undergraduate Excavator
Proyecto Arqueologico Jatanca y Huaca Colorada, Pacasmayo, Peru
May - September 2013
Nature and Heritage Interpreter
Cape Jourimain Nature Center, Bayfield, Canada
LANDSCAPE & GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS
Skills & Languages
WHAT I BRING TO THE TABLE
Teaching & Mentorship
Data Analysis
Writing & Editing
Research Design & Implementation
Project Management
Archaeological Field & Lab Methods
Public & Community Engagement
Communication, Emotional Intuition & Cultural Sensitivity
English
Spanish
French
Awards & Fellowships
WHERE I SHINE
University Fellow
The Graduate School at Northwestern University
2017-2024
$546 472
Grantee
The Graduate School Graduate Research Grant June 2022
$2 985
Grantee
Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) Graduate Summer Research Grants 2019-2022
$2 750
Grantee
The Graduate School Conference Travel Grants
2019, 2023
$1 600
Grantee
LeCron Foster & Friends of Anthropology Research Grant
2018, 2023
$3 000
Grantee
The Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant April 2022
$19 895
Participant
Kaplan Public Humanities Graduate Research Workshop 2021-2022 Cohort
$500
Grantee
Andean Cultures and Histories Working Group Graduate Summer Research Grants 2018, 2022
$750
Grantee
TGS Interdisciplinary Conference Travel Grant
2023
$1 000
Grantee
FAN Research Emergency Fund
2022
$500
Fellow
The Spatial Archaeology Residential and Online Institute (SAROI), at University of Arkansas-Fayetteville CAST
2022-2023 Cohort
$13 100
Graduate Fellow
Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR) 2019-2020 Cohort
$1 500
Mellon Cluster Fellow
Latin American and Caribbean Studies Cluster
2017
$ 2 500
Grantee
Native American and Indigenous Studies Cluster Graduate Student Research Award
2023
$300
Grantee
NU TGS Dependent Care Professional Development & Childcare Grants
$4 000
Teaching Experience
SELECT TESTIMONIALS
"I'm so glad I had Daniela as a TA again this quarter. She is incredibly helpful and understanding and always has great feedback and knowledge of the course content."
Anonymous Student Feedback, ANTHRO 211 Culture & Society
“Daniela made herself available, during section and afterwards, and was glad to help us out. She was very enthusiastic and excited to share her personal experiences in the field with us. It really felt like she wanted us to succeed, especially when she'd go above and beyond, offering to help us network if this was a field we wanted to get into. I have never had a TA offer such a useful resource, and I wish more would be like her. "
Anonymous Student Feedback, ANTHRO 214 Archeology: Unearthing History
"Strengths - Super cute, super responsive, super helpful and considerate.
Weakness - None, she just needs to be a professor already!"
Anonymous Student Feedback, ANTHRO 214 Archeology: Unearthing History
PAST COURSES
Archeology: Unearthing History
Introduction to Archaeology
2018, 2020
Culture & Society
Introduction to Sociocultural Anthropology
2020, 2024
Human Origins
Introduction to Biological Anthropology
2019, 2020
Global Health Studies
Introduction to International
Public Health
2019
GUEST LECTURES
Ecologies of Ancestors: Tracing Environmental Relationships through Chachapoya Mortuary Architecture
Archaeology of the Central Andes
Harvard University
2023
Fieldwork in Latin America: Stories from the Amazonian Andes, Northeastern Peru
Introduction to Archaeology
Northwestern University
2022
Above-Ground Mortuary Architecture in the Chachapoya Region, Peru
The Chicago Archaeological Society
2022
Heritage, History, and Multivocal Narratives of the Past
Introduction to Archaeology
Northwestern University
2022
​
Affiliations
Fellow
The Spatial Archaeology Online and Residential Institute
University of Arkansas-Fayetteville
Associate
Asociación Comunal de Turismo, Cultura y Medio Ambiente de Leymebamba
Leymembamba Peru
Fellow
Center for Native American and Indigenous Research
Northwestern University
Faculty
Department of Anthropology
Vancouver Island University
Fellow
Department of Anthropology
Northwestern University
