Anuli Akanegbu, PhD, (pronounced: Ah-noo-lee A-ka-nay-boo) is a cultural anthropologist based in Atlanta whose work examines how Black workers across the US navigate structural inequality, technological change, and economic instability. Guided by Octavia Butler’s directive to “tell stories filled with facts,” she draws on ethnographic fieldwork and archival research to examine how labor, policy, technology, and the virtual and physical spaces of cities shape how people live and work. With professional experience spanning research, brand strategy, teaching, and media production, Anuli bridges theory and practice to make complex ideas accessible and meaningful across fields, formats, and audiences.

As part of her commitment to public scholarship and media-making, Anuli created BLK IRL®, a multimedia platform dedicated to storytelling, experiential learning, and public engagement that explores how Black people live, work, and shape culture.

Anuli earned her PhD in cultural anthropology from New York University in 2024 and holds a B.A. in Communications and Culture from Howard University where she graduated summa cum laude with a 4.0 CGPA. Her doctoral dissertation, The South Got Something to Share: A Behind-the-Screens Look at the Work/Lives of Black Creative Contract Workers in Atlanta, was supported by the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research.

Currently, Anuli is a researcher on the Labor Futures team at the Data & Society Research Institute where she leads projects that explore the intersections of labor, race, and technology. Her sole-author study, (404) Job Not Found: What Workforce Training Can’t Fix for Black Atlantans in the Age of AI will be published by the organization in February 2026.

Anuli Akanegbu, PhD, (pronounced: Ah-noo-lee A-ka-nay-boo) is a cultural anthropologist based in Atlanta whose work examines how Black workers across the US navigate structural inequality, technological change, and economic instability. Guided by Octavia Butler’s directive to “tell stories filled with facts,” she draws on ethnographic fieldwork and archival research to examine how labor, policy, technology, and the virtual and physical spaces of cities shape how people live and work. With professional experience spanning research, brand strategy, teaching, and media production, Anuli bridges theory and practice to make complex ideas accessible and meaningful across fields, formats, and audiences.

Currently, Anuli works as a researcher on the Labor Futures team at the Data & Society Research Institute where she leads projects that explore the intersections of labor, race, and technology. Her sole-author study, (404) Job Not Found: What Workforce Training Can’t Fix for Black Atlantans in the Age of AI will be published by the organization in February 2026.