Aiden Jones

Aiden Skye Jones joined Purdue’s history PhD program in the fall of 2026.  He earned his BA in History from Ursinus College in the spring of 2024, and his MA in History from the University of North Florida in the spring of 2026.  His primary temporal and geographic focus is the twentieth century United States, and his thematic interests lie at the intersection of environmental history, the history of science, and cultural history.  Within those subfields he engages directly with the themes of human-animal relations, pseudoscience, and cultural conceptions of nature. 

His work examines the history of cryptozoology (the pursuit of unknown animals and local legends, think Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster).  More specifically, it examines why cryptozoology grew as a subculture within twentieth century America.  He frames cryptozoology as a consequence of dissatisfaction with the modern world, highlighting the themes of environmental anxiety, the institutionalization of science, and cultural interpretations of the unknown.  He is working under the guidance of Dr. Frederick Rowe Davis. 

Aiden is originally from Pennsylvania, but has also spent significant time in Florida.  Outside of his studies, he enjoys losing in bar trivia, collecting vinyl records, searching for shark teeth on the beach (not so much in Indiana), and writing short stories.