“The only individual to ever be an invited speaker to both Harvard University and the South Carolina Bigfoot Festival.”
About Darby Orcutt
Darby Orcutt is best known for his work at the intersection of Science and the Strange. In 2017, he began teaching his NC State University course “Science, Psi, Sasquatch, and Spirits,” where undergraduate students engage thoughtfully in researching the unexplained, on finding the answers behind phenomena experienced or believed by 3/4 of the American population: the so-called paranormal.
Embodying the “Think and Do” motto of NC State University, he started a project – and soon, an entire collaborative research program, investigating the “Strange.” With a particular interest in the “Sasquatch Phenomenon,” which includes accounts of large, hairy, bipeds throughout North America from indigenous tribal communities in pre-colonial America to individuals today, as well as alleged artifacts (tracks, hair, and other potential evidence), he recognizes that a wide range of experts and approaches may be needed to explain what is going on, from biology to psychology and beyond.
Darby’s research is to investigate why.
With decades of experience in academia and involvement across fields from biological sciences to the humanities, from genetics to AI, Darby Orcutt knows how to get top scientists doing serious and exciting work together. By collaborating with skilled professionals, united by the idea that even the most unconventional questions deserve answers, he is pushing forward our understanding of the Sasquatch phenomenon and other “fringe” topics of popular interest – as well as helping train future generations of researchers to practice creative and critical science that values data and curiosity.
Director of Interdisciplinary Partnerships, North Carolina State University Libraries
Affiliate Faculty, Genetics & Genomics Academy, NC State University
Senior Faculty, Center for AI in Society & Ethics (CASE), NC State University
Faculty, Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (MALS), NC State University
Affiliate Faculty & Internal Advisory Board Member, Genetic Engineering & Society Center, NC State University
Faculty, Science, Technology & Society Program, College of Humanities & Social Sciences, NC State University
Affiliate Faculty, Leadership in Public Science Cluster, NC State University
Affiliate Faculty, Global One Health Academy, NC State University
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