Robert E. Murowchick

Robert E. Murowchick is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Archaeology Program and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Boston University (BU). He serves as Associate Director of BU’s Center for the Study of Asia (BUCSA) within the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies and leads AsianArc, a research initiative focusing on Asian cultural heritage. He holds affiliations with Harvard’s Peabody Museum and collaborates with institutions like the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Archaeological Institute of America.

Education:

• PhD, Harvard University
• MA, Harvard University
• BA, Yale College

Research Focus: His work centers on early metallurgy in China/Southeast Asia, archaeological remote sensing (aerial/satellite imagery), and the intersection of politics/nationalism with archaeological research. He co-led the multi-institutional Investigations into Early Shang Civilization project (1991–2004) and currently studies non-ferrous metallurgy in southwest China and the history of bronze studies. He also advocates for cultural heritage preservation and combats antiquities trafficking.

Publications: Recent works include contributions to The Cambridge World Prehistory and Silk: Trade and Exchange along the Silk Roads.

Advising & Grants: He advises BUCSA and manages grants supporting interdisciplinary archaeological projects. His work emphasizes collaborative research across institutions like the University of Minnesota-Duluth and Academia Sinica.

Labs/Teams: Directs AsianArc (formerly ICEAACH), developing the ARC/Base Project—a multilingual archaeological database.