David Platzer

Anthropologist; 2018-2020 Berggruen Fellow

David Platzer recently completed his PhD in the anthropology department at Johns Hopkins University. His dissertation research focused on a new field of corporate diversity hiring initiatives that have targeted adults on the autism spectrum. His research tracked these programs through the various networks in which they are situated, from HR/diversity professionals to grassroots patient advocacy, to a range of social service agencies. His research has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur magazine, and the recent documentary This Business of Autism. While finishing his dissertation, for two years David worked as an experience researcher with Adobe’s Design Research and Strategy group in San Francisco. He is currently working on a book entitled Autism at Work: Labor, Reason, and the Value of Difference, based on his dissertation research.