Kathryn Denning is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Anthropology, and Science & Technology Studies at York University in Canada. Denning received her BA and MA in four-field anthropology from McMaster University in Canada, and her PhD in Archaeology and Prehistory from the University of Sheffield, UK. Her work in archaeology has focused primarily upon the role of the archaeological past in the present, and she teaches a wide variety of courses in archaeology, as well as the anthropology of outer space. For the last ten years, her research has been primarily focused upon humanity’s engagements with outer space, working with the SETI science, astrobiology science, and interstellar research communities on a host of issues, including: potential societal impact of a detection of extraterrestrial life; scientific speculation about alien intelligence and civilization; interstellar message construction; debates about active transmission projects; Mars analogue sites on Earth; and ethical issues in space exploration and solar system colonization. She has published widely and has presented her work at the Royal Society UK, American Anthropological Association, International Astronautical Congress, Bioastronomy, and AbSciCon. She is co-PI of the Astrobiology & Society Focus Group of the NASA Astrobiology Institute, has projects with the SETI Institute, and is a Lincoln Scholar with the Consortium for Applied Space Ethics within the Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics at Arizona State University. She is affiliated with Tau Zero, Icarus Interstellar, and 100YSS, and serves on the International Academy of Astronautics’ SETI Permanent Study Committee. She is also active in public media work, including television programs on topics ranging from archaeology to aliens to vampires to mythical beasts.