Trevor Owens

Dr. Trevor Owens is a social scientist, historian, and archivist working to deepen the positive impact of scientific societies and cultural heritage institutions on society through humanities and social science research. Owens serves as the first Chief Research Officer of the American Institute of Physics. He is also a Public Historian in Residence at American University, and a faculty member for California’s Rare Book School. Owens previously worked as the Director of Digital Services at the Library of Congress and as a Senior Program Officer and as Associate Deputy Director for Libraries at the United States Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).  

Owens is the author of four books, the most recent of which, After Disruption: A Future for Cultural Memory was published by University of Michigan Press in Spring of 2024. His previous book, The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation, published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2018, won outstanding publication awards from both the American Library Association and the Society of American Archivists. He has received numerous awards for his work, including the Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology from the American Library Association and the Archival Innovator Award from the Society of American Archivists.