Michael Doneus

Michael Doneus is a Professor of Landscape Archaeology with a focus on archaeological prospection at the University of Vienna, where he serves as the Institute Director of the Institute for Prehistoric and Historical Archaeology. He has been a Corresponding Member of the Division of Humanities and Social Sciences in Austria since 2014 and has led the Department for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology since 2014.

• Professor for Landscape and Environmental Archaeology at University of Vienna (since 2011)
• Head of Department for Prehistoric and Protohistoric Archaeology (since 2014)
• Director of Vienna Institute for Archaeological Science (2012-2013)
• Deputy Director at Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection (2010-2017)

Professor Doneus specializes in archaeological remote sensing, particularly aerial archaeology and airborne laser scanning (LiDAR). His research encompasses methodological developments in archaeological prospection and landscape archaeology, as well as the integrated diachronic interpretation of archaeological landscapes. He has conducted extensive fieldwork in Austria, Croatia, Sicily, and Japan, applying high-resolution, non-invasive prospecting methods to interpret complex archaeological landscapes. His approach moves beyond the concept of individual sites to examine the wealth of information in the spaces between sites.

His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on advanced remote sensing techniques in challenging environments such as forested areas and Mediterranean landscapes. His work has significantly advanced archaeological prospection through innovations in digital terrain modeling, ground point filtering strategies, and the integration of multiple data sources for landscape interpretation. The research shows a clear progression toward more sophisticated methodologies for extracting archaeological information from complex terrain data.

• Tewkesbury Fellowship of the University of Melbourne, Faculty of Engineering
• Society of Exploration Geophysicists Honors & Award Recipient
• Best Paper Award for digital terrain modeling research
• Best Poster Award for 3D visualization techniques

Professor Doneus has supervised numerous graduate students across various archaeological topics, with a particular focus on landscape archaeology and prospection methods. His research has been supported by multiple third-party funded projects including INTERREG: Danube's Archaeological eLandscapes (2020-2023) and FWF P28410: Prospecting Boundaries: Archaeology along the Mazaro, Sicily (2016-2019). He leads international collaborations with institutions across Europe, working to advance archaeological prospection methods and their application to understanding past human landscapes.