Erik Nemeth

Biography

Erik Nemeth, an independent researcher in Santa Monica, California, explores the interrelation of culture, identity, and perceptions of security (culturalsecurity.net). In publishing on the intersection of the art and antiquities market, illicit markets, political violence, and intelligence studies, he examines the evolving significance of artworks, historic structures, and monuments in international affairs.

Following a decade in the software-development industry in the United States and the former East bloc, Nemeth pursued graduate studies in neuroscience. Dissertation research in retinal physiology led to studies in neuroaesthetics, which led to research in leveraging scholarship across disciplines. While serving as an analyst in Research Databases at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, California, Nemeth researched web-based methods for cross-disciplinary sharing of scholarly publications. In presenting on the potential for interdisciplinary research in the humanities and the sciences, he has initiated a framework of "cultural intelligence" for strategic application in foreign policy.

Nemeth has published in journals such as Terrorism and Political Violence, Intelligence and National Security, and Cambridge Review of International Affairs and presents at conferences in art history, archaeology, information science, and criminology. He also serves on the editorial board of Journal of Art Crime and as a trustee of the Association for Research into Crimes against Art (ARCA). Nemeth holds a B.A. in Computer Science and a Ph.D. in Vision Science, both from the University of California at Berkeley.