معرفی
Associate Professor Dr. Sandra Heinsch is a faculty member at the Institute of Ancient History and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, University of Innsbruck, located at Ágnes Heller House, Innrain 52a in Innsbruck, Austria. She maintains an active research profile with numerous international collaborations and field projects across the Near East and Caucasus region.
Her research focuses on the archaeology and cultural history of Mesopotamia and the South Caucasus, with specialized interests in ceramic analysis, building research and stratigraphy, landscape archaeology, chronology, radiocarbon dating, and digital cultural heritage. She has developed innovative archaeological field school programs and implemented advanced digital documentation methods in her excavations.
Professor Heinsch's publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output with significant contributions to understanding Urartian civilization, Mesopotamian archaeology, and Iron Age studies. Her work combines traditional archaeological methods with digital approaches, particularly in documenting cultural heritage sites through innovative technological solutions. She has established long-term excavation projects in Armenia, Georgia, and Iran that have produced important findings about regional chronologies and cultural interactions.
Among her notable recognitions are the Ars docendi Staatspreis 2015, the Preis der Landeshauptstadt Innsbruck 2019, and the ASOR book prize in 2020. Her teaching excellence has been acknowledged through multiple nominations for prestigious awards including the European Award for Excellence in Teaching in the Social Sciences and Humanities.
Professor Heinsch leads several major international projects including the Aramus excavation (ongoing since 2004), Karmir Blur excavations (since 2019), and research in Northwest Iran. She has pioneered the integration of free and open-source software in archaeological documentation through initiatives like ArcheOS and DADIM (Digital Archaeological Documentation of Iranian Monuments). Her work bridges traditional archaeological practice with cutting-edge digital methodologies while maintaining strong connections to historical and cultural contexts.
