ML Folmer

ML Folmer is an Associate Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam's Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, specializing in Religious Sources. They concurrently serve as Universitair Docent (University Lecturer) in Aramaic at Leiden University since 1998. Their research focuses on ancient languages and religious practices, particularly Aramaic dialects, Jewish communities in the Achaemenid Empire, and linguistic interactions in antiquity.

Research interests include code-switching in Elephantine Aramaic, administrative language evolution, and material culture analysis of ancient Jewish diasporas. Folmer has published extensively on topics such as Persian loanwords in Aramaic texts and the sociolinguistic context of ancient curse tablets.

They have organized academic events like the IOTS 10th International Meeting (2022) and delivered key lectures on topics ranging from Hebrew-Aramaic linguistic connections to official Aramaic's historical development. Notable recognition includes the 1996 Bulthuis van Oosternieland Prize for scholarly contributions.

Teaching responsibilities include leading courses on Aramaic and Biblical Hebrew at VU, covering introductory to advanced levels. Their work bridges textual analysis with archaeological evidence, offering interdisciplinary insights into ancient Near Eastern societies.