Ebba Koch

Professor Ebba Koch is a leading authority in Mughal architecture and Islamic art history at the University of Vienna's Faculty of History and Cultural Studies, Institute of Art History. With office location 3F.EG.05 at Garnisongasse 13, University Campus Hof 9, Vienna, she maintains active research and teaching roles while serving as senior researcher at the Austrian Academy of Sciences.

Her research focuses on Mughal palace and garden architecture, Taj Mahal studies, artistic relations between Mughal India and Europe, and art as expression of ruler ideology. Koch pioneered comprehensive documentation of Mughal sites through major surveys conducted since 1976 with architect Richard A. Barraud, creating extensive photographic and architectural drawing archives of South Asian Islamic architecture.

Her publication portfolio demonstrates remarkable continuity in Mughal studies, spanning from her 1988 monograph Shah Jahan and Orpheus to the 2022 work The Planetary King. The articles reveal consistent methodological approaches combining formal architectural analysis with political and ideological interpretation, particularly examining imperial symbolism through architectural elements, garden design, and artistic production.

Award highlights include:

• Hagop Kevorkian Lectureship at NYU (1998)
• Aga Khan Fellowship at Harvard (2002)
• FWF Austrian Science Funds project leadership (2009-2012)
• European Commission COST Action delegation (2005-2009)

Koch's academic leadership extends to significant conservation initiatives, notably serving as architectural advisor to the Taj Mahal Conservation Collaborative since 2001 and directing the reconstruction of Mughal Agra as a riverside garden city. Her 2024 symposium at Vienna's Institute of Iranian Studies celebrated her scholarly contributions to Mughal studies.