Julian Siggers

Julian Siggers has served as the President and Chief Executive Officer since September 2020.

Throughout his career, Siggers has championed the importance of communicating science to the public in a way that’s engaging and accessible. He has led countless initiatives—exhibitions, publications, programming, and digital media—to transform museums into vibrant spaces for public education and discovery that belong to the whole community.

Before the Field, Siggers was the director of the Penn Museum in Philadelphia from 2012 to 2020. He oversaw the renovation of many of the museum’s galleries and public spaces, including the Middle East Galleries, Africa Galleries, and Mexico and Central America Gallery. He also established the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials, an interdisciplinary center for training students in archaeological techniques, and led a $100 million fundraising campaign. Siggers guided implementation of new programs that welcome diverse audiences, including a program in which immigrants and refugees act as docents in galleries focused on their original countries.

Prior to the Penn Museum, Siggers was vice president for programs, education, and content communication at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto from 2007 to 2012 and head of narrative and broadcast development at the United Kingdom’s National Museum of Science and Industry in London.

Siggers taught prehistoric archaeology for eight years at the University of Toronto. He earned his PhD there in 1997, with a focus on prehistoric humans in the Middle East. He received his MA in prehistoric archaeology in 1988 and BA with honors in archaeology in 1986 from the Institute of Archaeology at University College London.

Siggers is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) US Board of Directors.