Julie K. Stein is an American geoarchaeologist, who is best known for her research on the coastal adaptions of prehistoric humans in the Pacific Northwest. She is executive director of the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Washington. She has published several books on shell midden sites of the Northwest Coast and various publications on the analysis of sediments and stratigraphy of historic sites. Education Stein majored in geology and anthropology at Western Michigan University, receiving her BA in 1974. She earned an MA in 1976 and PhD degree in 1980 from the University of Minnesota. Archaeological and academic career Teaching Stein began her academic career as a Geology laboratory instructor at the University of Minnesota in 1975. In 1979, she was hired as an instructor at the Science Museum of Minnesota. In 1980, Stein moved to Seattle, Washington and joined the Department of Anthropology at the University of Washington as an Assistant Professor. In 1994, Stein was promoted to Professor of Anthropology at UW. In 1994–1995, she was named Acting Chair of the Department of Anthropology. In 1999, Stein was appointed Divisional Dean of Research in the College of Arts and Sciences. In 2005, Stein was the recipient of UW's Distinguished Teaching Award]. The Burke Museum From 1985–90, Stein served as Adjunct Curator of the Burke Museum, which is located on the University of Washington campus. In 1990, she was promoted to Curator of Archaeology at the museum and continued in that position until 1999. In 2005, Stein was named Executive Director of the Burke Museum. Construction is underway on a new museum facility to open in 2019. When asked in December 2015 about the new museum, Stein responded, "Our goal with the new facility is to turn the museum inside out so that people can see and interact with the 16 million objects in our collections. We want them to know about the research and magic that is happening behind the scenes". Research interests "Stein's research focuses on geoarchaeology, especially sediments at archaeological sites and archaeological stratigraphy". She has conducted extensive research on shell middens, beginning with her dissertation research in 1977 on the Shell Mound Archaeological Project on the Green River in Kentucky. After joining the faculty of the University of Washington in 1980, she continued her research in the Pacific Northwest. She led a yearly excavation from