Almut Hintze

Professor Almut Hintze is the Zartoshty Brothers Professor of Zoroastrianism at SOAS University of London, jointly appointed in the Department of Religions and Philosophies and the School of History, Religions and Philosophies. She holds an MPhil from the University of Oxford, a Dr phil. from the University of Erlangen, and a Dr habil. from Humboldt University of Berlin. Her research focuses on Indo-Iranian philology, Zoroastrian literature, and religion.

She directs the ERC Advanced Grant project 'The Multimedia Yasna' (2016–2021), which examines the performance and transmission of the Yasna ritual through digital humanities methodologies. The project integrates philological analysis with interactive film documentation to make ancient texts accessible globally.

Her primary research interests include:

• Oral and written transmission of Avestan texts
• Zoroastrian ritual practices
• Cross-cultural religious exchanges
• Digital reconstruction of historical rituals

Professor Hintze's publications emphasize linguistic analysis of ancient Iranian texts and material culture, often exploring intersections between philology, archaeology, and digital humanities. Her work frequently addresses themes of ritual performance, manuscript preservation, and religious evolution in pre-Islamic Iran.

She received the distinction of Fellow of the British Academy in 2015 for her contributions to Iranian studies.

As primary supervisor for ten PhD students, her mentorship spans topics including Sogdian literature, Yaghnobi linguistics, and Neo-Zoroastrian movements. She leads multiple international collaborations involving researchers from the UK, Germany, India, and Iran.