Sharon Gerstel

Sharon Gerstel is Professor of Byzantine Art and Archaeology at UCLA, where she directs the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Hellenic Culture. Her research investigates Byzantine art through interdisciplinary lenses, particularly focusing on ritual performance, village archaeology, and acoustic environments in sacred spaces. Gerstel holds a PhD from NYU's Institute of Fine Arts and has held visiting positions at Oxford, Princeton, and Dumbarton Oaks.

Key research domains include:

• Intersections of architecture, acoustics, and ritual in Byzantine churches
• Medieval rural communities in Greece through archaeological and ethnographic methods
• Cross-cultural artistic exchanges in the Mediterranean

Publications demonstrate methodological innovation:

• Integration of archaeological survey with ethnographic fieldwork
• Acoustic measurement of liturgical spaces
• Analysis of gender roles in Byzantine village life

Major honors recognize scholarly impact:

• Runciman Prize and ICMA Book Prize for Rural Lives and Landscapes
• Guggenheim Fellowship supporting Byzantine soundscape research
• Commander of the Order of the Phoenix (Greek state honor)

Fieldwork encompasses church restoration in Mani and archaeological projects across Greece. As founding co-director of 'Soundscapes of Byzantium,' Gerstel pioneers acoustic analysis of liturgical spaces using advanced audio technology. She regularly advises international cultural institutions including UNESCO and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture.