Sunhild Kleingärtner

Prof. Dr. Sunhild Kleingärtner is the Scientific Director of the German Mining Museum Bochum (Leibniz Research Museum for Georesources) and Professor of Archaeology with a focus on Transfer at Ruhr-Universität Bochum. She holds a habilitation in Prehistoric and Early History from Kiel University, with a PhD thesis on Viking-era harbor findings in Haithabu. As a certified research diver, she specializes in marine and underwater archaeology, leading excavations and surveys both underwater and on land.

• Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Professor of Archaeology with Transfer focus (2022-present)
• German Mining Museum Bochum, Scientific Director (2022-present)
• University of Bremen, Professor of Maritime History and Marine Archaeology (2013-2021)
• German Maritime Museum, Interim Director (2013-2021)

Her research integrates maritime archaeology, underwater mining heritage, and public trust in museum institutions. She has directed projects like "TiM: Trust in Museums" and "Neptuns Bergwerte," examining societal cohesion through material culture. Her work spans Viking-era maritime history, early medieval urbanization at the Baltic Sea, and heritage management frameworks.

Selected from 6 publications between 2004-2020, her scholarly output shows sustained focus on maritime archaeology, cultural transformation in Northern Europe, and museum policy. Key trends include interdisciplinary approaches combining historical analysis with environmental science, and material studies examining cultural networks across the North and Baltic Seas.

• Thomas Mann Fellowship (2022)
• Heinrich Winkelmann Fellowship

Kleingärtner contributes to major committees including the Scientific Board of Deutsches Museum München and the German Marine Research Alliance. She directs research teams in archaeological projects and participates in Leibniz Association governance.