Robert Bork

Robert Bork is Professor and Director of Graduate Studies for Art History at the University of Iowa's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. A distinguished scholar of Gothic architecture, he specializes in the geometric analysis of medieval structures using laser-scanning technology and historical methodologies.

Education:

• PhD in Architectural History from Princeton University
• MA in Architectural History from Princeton University
• MS in Physics from University of California-Santa Cruz
• BA in Physics from Harvard University

Research examines Gothic design processes, structural engineering, and proportional systems across European cathedrals, with current projects analyzing Reims, Metz, and Notre-Dame using advanced scanning technologies. His interdisciplinary approach bridges physics, geometry, and art history.

Publications demonstrate sustained analysis of Gothic geometry, spires, vaulting systems, and design evolution, with recent focus on laser-scan data interpretation, historiographical critiques, and technical drawing reconstruction. Works consistently engage structural analysis and proportional systems.

Awards:

• Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America (2024)
• Samuel H. Kress Senior Fellowship at CASVA
• Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship
• Frederick Burkhardt Fellowship (ACLS)
• American Philosophical Society Sabbatical Fellowship

As Graduate Director, advises doctoral candidates in art history while maintaining international research collaborations. Current projects include geometric analysis of French Gothic cathedrals using laser-scan data.