Katherine Verdery is an anthropologist and author. Currently, she is a Professor at the City University of New York's Graduate Center. Previously, Verdery was a Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Center of Russian and European Studies at University of Michigan, and a Visiting Professor at University of Minnesota. Verdery is best known for her 2018 book, "My Life as a Spy: Investigations in a Secret Police File," which is based on her experiences working in Romania in the 1970s–1980s, where as a foreign visitor she was extensively surveilled by the Securitate under the Ceaușescu regime, which incorrectly suspected her of spying. Verdery received her B.A. in Anthropology from Reed College, and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Anthropology from Stanford University.