saunt graduated from columbia university in 1989 with a bachelor of arts degree in history and received his master of arts in american history from duke university in 1991. in 1996, saunt completed his ph.d. in early america at duke. saunt briefly worked as an instructor and lecturer at duke and columbia, respectively, before beginning work as a professor at the university of georgia in 1998. presently, saunt is a richard b. russell professor in american history at the university of georgia, athens. saunt additionally serves as the associate director of the institute of native american studies, an innovative program which offers students the opportunity to receive certificates in native american studies alongside their officially declared field of study. as the co-founder and co-director of the center for virtual history, saunt leads initiatives focused on the intersection of research, emerging technologies, and the public.