Marco Bianchi

Marco Bianchi serves as Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Nordic Languages at Uppsala University, where he also acts as Proinspector at Gotland Nation. His academic leadership extends to editorial roles as Editor of Futhark: International Journal of Runic Studies and member of the Samnordisk runetext database committee.

His educational trajectory includes a PhD in Nordic Languages from Uppsala University (2010) and a lic.phil. degree in general history, Old Norse philology, and comparative Old Germanic linguistics from the University of Zurich (2003).

• PhD in Nordic Languages, Uppsala University (2010)
• lic.phil. in History/Old Norse/Comparative Germanic Linguistics, University of Zurich (2003)

Bianchi's research centers on runology, historical sociolinguistics, and Germanic language history, with particular emphasis on textual boundaries and sociocultural contexts of runic inscriptions. His current Eternity Runes Project investigates interdisciplinary connections between epigraphy, semiotics, and Viking Age communication practices, revealing how runestones functioned as social media in early Scandinavian societies. Methodologically, he bridges digital humanities with traditional philological analysis to decode multilinear inscriptions and para-graphic elements.

His 12+ publications since 2007 demonstrate consistent focus on runic studies, evolving from technical analyses of inscription boundaries (2012) to contemporary digital corpus management (2022). Key thematic clusters include sociolinguistic interpretations of runestones, editorial standardization for international databases, and critical reassessments of historical runology pioneers like Otto von Friesen.

Bianchi actively shapes the field through graduate supervision and editorial stewardship, mentoring students like Sonja Entzenberg and Simon Karlin Björk while guiding Futhark's publication strategy. His work receives international recognition through citations in Wikipedia and academic discourse, though formal awards aren't documented.