Valentina Calzolari Bouvier is a Professor of Armenian Studies at the University of Geneva and Lecturer in the International Master in Armenian Studies (IMAS) . Her work focuses on Armenian cultural heritage, apocryphal Christian texts, manuscript traditions, and the transmission of Greek and Syriac intellectual traditions to Armenia. Key Expertise: Armenology, Early Christian Apocrypha, Digital Humanities, Medieval Armenian Philology, Hellenistic Thought in Armenian Context Research Highlights: She has published extensively on Armenian manuscript culture, including monographs like Liberal Arts and Sciences in Ancient and Medieval Armenia (2022) and The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles in Armenian (2022). Her work bridges philology, art history, and post-Soviet literary analysis. Scientific Honors: Recognized as Foreign Correspondent of the Academy of Inscriptions and Belles Lettres and serving as President of the International Association of Armenian Studies. Public Engagement: Active in Armenian diaspora studies, post-genocide memory, and digital preservation of ancient texts. Regularly contributes to interdisciplinary conferences and edited volumes.
Professor Thomas O Clancy is a leading academic in Celtic and Gaelic studies at the University of Glasgow, specializing in medieval Celtic literature, Scottish history, and onomastics. He holds the rank of Professor in the Department of Celtic & Gaelic. His research focuses on early medieval Scottish literature, saints’ cults, and place-name studies, with notable contributions to understanding Gaelic language and cultural history in Scotland. Key research interests include: Medieval Celtic literature, particularly early Irish and Welsh texts Early medieval Scottish literature and the role of Gaelic Religious history, including saints’ cults and hagiography Place-name studies, particularly in Galloway and the Scottish Highlands Notable projects include the Place-Names of Clackmannanshire and investigations into saints’ commemorations in Scottish place-names. He has supervised over 20 doctoral students, many focusing on medieval Celtic topics. His articles span literary analysis, historical linguistics, and archaeological interpretation, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to cultural and linguistic change.
Susan Frances Jones is an Assistant Professor in Art History at Northeastern University London, specializing in late medieval and early modern art with particular expertise in technical analysis and object-based methodologies. She holds an MA from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD from the Courtauld Institute of Art, with prior positions including Assistant Curator at the National Gallery London and Fellow at the Art Institute of Chicago. Her research explores four interconnected areas: inscriptions and visual communication; intellectual traditions; international art trade; and materials/workshop practices. Current research examines the transformation of oil painting in the 15th century through the lens of Jan van Eyck's work, analyzing technical innovation, authorial presence, and cultural context. Jones has led major interdisciplinary projects including the VERONA initiative (Van Eyck Research in OpeN Access), which developed standardized imaging protocols for Van Eyck's oeuvre across 29 international museums. This project received the 2019 European Heritage Award. Her research has been supported by prestigious fellowships including: J. Paul Getty Postdoctoral Fellowship Frances A. Yates Fellowship at the Warburg Institute She has supervised numerous MA dissertations on topics ranging from Netherlandish manuscripts to Spanish altarpieces, and regularly lectures at institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Prado Museum, and Columbia University.
Jan Ragnar Hagland is a Professor at NTNU’s Department of Nordic Studies and Literature, specializing in Old Norse philology, runic studies, and the history of the Norwegian language. His research focuses on medieval legal texts, Icelandic sagas, and the intersection of literacy practices with socio-historical contexts. He has authored or co-authored numerous books and articles, including editions of medieval legal codes, translations of sagas, and studies on runic inscriptions. Affiliations: NTNU, Faculty of Humanities; Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Key Projects: Trøndersk Språkhistorie (Trøndelag Language History Project), Runestone Analysis, Saga Translation Projects His work bridges textual analysis and historical context, examining how language and literature reflect cultural, legal, and social dynamics in medieval and early modern Scandinavia. Notably, he explores the role of literacy in shaping local identities and the transmission of legal and mythological knowledge.
Dr. Orla Murphy is a Lecturer and Head of the Department of Digital Humanities at the School of English and Digital Humanities, University College Cork (UCC), Ireland. Her roles include National Coordinator of DARIAH-IE, Irish National Representative on CoST-EU and ESFRI committees, and leadership in UCC's teaching and digital education committees. She holds a PhD in English from UCC (2007), an MPhil in English (1998), and a Diploma in Medieval Studies (1994). Her research focuses on digital humanities, textual transmission from orality to cyberculture, and cultural heritage documentation through technologies like 3D scanning. She explores how emerging digital tools transform scholarship and pedagogy, co-designing innovative degrees promoting international digitization standards. Recent projects include the Irish Research Council-funded 'Embedding Digital Literacies in Irish HEIs' and grants totaling over €160k. Awards include the Fulbright TechImpact Award and National Teaching Expert Award. Her work spans books, peer-reviewed journals, conference papers, and curated exhibitions like *Selective Memory: Artists in the Archive* (2014).
Carsten L. Wilke is a Professor in the Department of Historical Studies at Central European University (CEU), where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on European and Mediterranean religious history, with a focus on Jewish history from the Middle Ages to the present. He is affiliated with multiple academic programs, including Jewish Studies, Cultural Heritage Studies, Eastern Mediterranean Studies, and Early Modern Studies. From 2016 to 2020, he served as director of the Center for Religious Studies at CEU, and in 2023–2024, he directed the Erasmus Mundus program History in the Public Sphere . He is currently on sabbatical during the 2024–2025 academic year. His academic training includes a PhD in Jewish Studies from the University of Cologne (1994, summa cum laude), a diploma in Religious Studies from the École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris, and an MA from the University of Cologne. Before joining CEU in 2009, he held research positions in France, Germany, Mexico, and the USA. Wilke’s research centers on transcultural aspects of European Jewish history, with specializations in Sephardic and crypto-Jewish communities, Jewish-Christian relations, early modern Iberian Judaism, book and manuscript culture, and modernization processes in 19th-century Judaism. His publications include the monograph Farewell to Shulamith: Spatial and Social Diversity in the Song of Songs (2017) and edited volumes such as Modern Jewish Scholarship in Hungary (2016) and Isaac Orobio: The Jewish Argument with Dogma and Doubt (2018). His recent articles explore themes like clandestine Jewish networks, religious polemics, synagogue architecture, and intellectual exchanges between Jewish and Christian thinkers. His recent publications reveal a strong focus on early modern Jewish identity formation, particularly among Iberian exiles and crypto-Jews. He frequently examines the interplay between religious texts, political events, and cultural memory, with a methodological emphasis on manuscript studies, transnational networks, and cross-confessional dialogue. Wilke has received several honors, including the CEU Outstanding Research Award (2016) and the French Jewish Book Award (2008). He has been a research fellow at institutions such as the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies and Yeshiva University, and has held visiting professorships in Paris, Brussels, Tokyo, and Germany. He has supervised numerous doctoral and MA theses at CEU, including prize-winning works on topics such as interwar Jewish beauty pageants, Nigerian literary history, and Sephardic Purim festivities. His teaching includes both classroom courses and experiential learning, such as walking tours on Jewish commemorative landscapes in Budapest. Wilke is involved in several ongoing research projects, including Sephardic Manuscripts of the Early Modern Period , Jewish Cemetery Inscriptions in Europe , and The Alliance Israélite Universelle in Germany, 1860–1914 . He is also a member of the ÖAW Cluster of Excellence EurAsian Transformations .
Michael C. Tinkler is an Associate Professor of Art and Architecture and Chair of European Studies at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where he has been a faculty member since 1999. He holds a Ph.D. from Emory University and a B.A. from Rice University. His academic home is in the Department of Art and Architecture within the College of Arts and Sciences, where he teaches a wide range of courses spanning from ancient to modern art, with a special focus on the medieval period. Education: Ph.D., Emory University B.A., Rice University His research centers on eighth- to tenth-century Europe, particularly the art and architecture of the Carolingian court, with sustained attention to inscriptions, the interplay between words and images, and sites such as the mosaics of Santa Prassede in Rome. He also investigates medieval badges, pilgrimage culture, Gothic Revival architecture in American colleges, and humor in the Middle Ages. His pedagogical interests include interdisciplinary teaching and the use of digital tools in art history education. The trends in his scholarly articles reflect a deep engagement with material culture, epigraphy, and visual rhetoric of the early medieval period. His work often bridges art history, literature, and religious studies, focusing on how symbols function in both sacred and secular contexts. Recurring themes include authority, literacy, devotion, and the body in medieval art. Michael Tinkler has presented widely at international conferences such as the International Congress on Medieval Studies in Kalamazoo and has organized sessions on medieval humor and pedagogy. He has directed the Rome study-abroad program and collaborates with colleagues on interdisciplinary courses, particularly with Professor Laurence Erussard in English. He maintains digital resources for students, including image databases and virtual bookshelves, and is active in developing teaching tools for medieval studies. Current Research and Projects Include: Early medieval inscriptions and word-image-space interactions Analysis of the mosaics of Santa Prassede, Rome Study of medieval badges, including pilgrimage and carnival badges Investigation of Gothic Revival architecture at Hobart and William Smith Colleges Pedagogical innovations in teaching medieval humor and interdisciplinary humanities Collaborative digital scholarship and online teaching resources
Valérie Gillet is a Lecturer in History and Archaeology of the Indian World at the French School of the Far East (EFEO) since 2007. She was based at the EFEO Pondicherry Center from 2007 to 2016, serving as its Head until February 2016, after which she focused exclusively on research in India. Education : PhD in Indian Studies (2006), University of Paris III-Sorbonne Nouvelle Her research centers on South Indian religious monuments (Pallava, Pāṇḍya, and minor dynasties, 1st millennium CE), analyzing epigraphy , iconography , and temple archives to reconstruct socio-political and religious history. Key interests include sacred space construction, Subrahmaṇya cults, minor dynasties' artistic production, and temple renovation processes. Recent publications examine Rāmāyaṇa narratives in Pallava temples , Pāṇḍya royal donations , and medieval Tamil script evolution . She co-organized international workshops on the Archaeology of Bhakti and temple epigraphy, featuring collaborations with institutions like Pondicherry University and EPHE Paris. Scientific Networks : Collaborations with Emmanuel Francis, Charlotte Schmid, and the ANR Project Netcher Gillet leads the SITA (South Indian Temple Archives) digital photo-archive and has presented at institutions including Yale University, Southern Methodist University, and the GIS Asie Congress. Her work bridges archaeology , literary analysis , and digital humanities to explore temple-centric histories.
Agnes Kiricsi is an Associate Professor at the Department of English Literatures and Cultures within the Faculty of Humanities at Károli Gáspár Reformed University in Hungary. She has held this position while also serving as the Institute's ERASMUS coordinator since 2016 and organizing academic events such as the Research Day in Medieval English Studies (RDMES) workshop. Dr. Kiricsi earned her PhD in Medieval English Literature from Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) in 2006 with a dissertation titled "Semantic Rivalry of Mod/Mood and Gemynd/Mynde in Old and Middle English Literature." She completed her MA in English Studies at the same institution in 1998. Her academic journey includes research stays at prestigious institutions including the University of Helsinki, Oxford University, and King's College London. Her research spans the intersection of medieval literature and atmospheric phenomena, with particular focus on how Old and Middle English texts represent cognitive concepts and optical phenomena. Dr. Kiricsi has made significant contributions to understanding the depiction of reason and spirit in medieval English sources, while also pioneering research on halo phenomena in early texts and illustrations. Her interdisciplinary approach bridges literary analysis with historical meteorology, creating a unique scholarly niche that examines how medieval writers interpreted atmospheric events through religious and philosophical frameworks. Her recent publications demonstrate a growing interest in urban archaeology and historical geography, particularly regarding London's vanished river Walbrook, while maintaining her core expertise in medieval literary culture. This expansion of research interests shows her ability to connect literary analysis with material culture studies. Lynne Grundy Memorial Trust Award from King's College London (2005) As an educator, Dr. Kiricsi teaches a wide range of courses including Medieval English Literature and Culture, Early English Literature, Reading Old and Middle English texts, and specialized topics like "Secrets of the Middle Ages" and "Vikings in Anglo-Saxon England." She has developed curriculum materials such as the "Civilisation in the United Kingdom and Ireland" workbook. Her research has been supported through various international collaborations including the EUTELL-EMJM program and multiple ERASMUS initiatives. Dr. Kiricsi maintains an active international research profile, with recent ERASMUS teaching assignments at Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow (2023) and Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University in Georgia (2024). She has organized international academic workshops connecting scholars from Károli Gáspár University with institutions including the University of Lausanne, University of Padova, and University of Warwick.
David Woods is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Ancient Classics at University College Cork (UCC). He received his PhD from Queen's University Belfast in 1991 and has been at UCC since 1998, receiving a permanent post in 1999 and promotion to Senior Lecturer in 2008. Dr. Woods specializes in military and political history from AD 14-750, with particular focus on the reigns of Caligula, Nero, the Constantinian dynasty, and the early Arab-Byzantine wars. His research heavily engages with the works of Roman historians like Suetonius, Tacitus, and Ammianus Marcellinus, as well as Byzantine chroniclers. He also has a strong interest in ancient numismatics, studying Roman, Byzantine, Arab-Byzantine, and Anglo-Saxon coinage. His extensive publication record demonstrates expertise across Roman imperial history, early Byzantine studies, and numismatics. Recent work has focused on textual analysis of classical sources, reinterpretation of historical events through numismatic evidence, and exploration of religious transformations in the late antique period. His scholarship bridges literary analysis with material culture studies, particularly through coins. Dr. Woods has edited several volumes including Ammianus Marcellinus: From Soldier to Author (2022) and The Mystery of Christ in the Fathers of the Church (2012), and served as editor for multiple volumes of Classics Ireland (2004-2009).
Cecilia VALENTINI is a Research Fellow at the Department of Humanities, Ca' Foscari University of Venice. Research Areas: Her work focuses on Language Sciences Dialectology Digital Humanities Latin Dialects Historical Sociolinguistics Projects: She is involved in the Digital Latin Dialectology (DiLaDi) project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under Horizon Europe, which traces linguistic variation through ancient and early medieval sources. The project spans 60 months (2023–2028) and collaborates with scholars like Béla ADAMIK and Alessandro PAPINI.
Dr. Jochen Sokoly is an Associate Professor of Art History at VCUarts Qatar, specializing in Islamic Art and Architecture. He served as Gallery Director at VCUarts Qatar from 2004–2011 and has held research fellowships at institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Harvard's Aga Khan Program. His research focuses on Early Islamic caliphates' material culture, particularly textiles, and British India's artistic heritage. Sokoly has curated exhibitions on Middle Eastern contemporary art and co-edited works on inscribed textiles. His recent projects include studies on 18th-century British India painters and botanical illustrations. Education: D.Phil, University of Oxford, 2002 M.Phil, University of Oxford, 1992 M.A., SOAS University of London, 1999 (Distinction) B.A., SOAS University of London, 1989 (First Class Honors) Research Interests: His work spans Early Islamic caliphates' material culture, British India's art and natural history, and contemporary Middle Eastern art. Key themes include textiles' role in administration, epigraphic studies, and colonial-era collecting practices. Recent Achievements: Recipient of Aga Khan Fellowship (2020) Co-editor of Social Fabrics: Inscribed Textiles from Medieval Egyptian Tombs (2022) Published The Seas and the Mobility of Islamic Art (2021) Grants & Collaborations: sokoly has secured multiple grants, including the Presidential Research Quest Fund (2020) and Max Van Berchem Foundation Grant (2017). He serves on the Royal Asiatic Society's Council and collaborates with institutions like the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha. Labs/Teams: Engaged with the Aga Khan Program at Harvard and collaborates on exhibitions through VCUarts Qatar's curatorial initiatives.
Matthew Simeon Champion is a Research Fellow at the Institute for Religion and Critical Inquiry , affiliated with the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy . His work bridges history, religious studies, and sound studies, focusing on medieval and early modern Europe. Research Interests: Champion explores intersections of Temporalities in religious practices Emotions in historical narratives Material culture and sound (e.g., bells, manuscripts) Monastic and urban timekeeping traditions Liturgical frameworks in historiography Recent Publications examine themes like Sound and technology in medieval France Liturgical time in Middelburg Erasmus and material religion Emotions in Carthusian monasticism with methodologies spanning archaeology and narrative analysis. Repository Metrics: His outputs have garnered 1,421 views and 18 downloads since 2020.
Elizabeth A. Cecil is the Timothy Gannon Associate Professor of Religion at Florida State University (FSU), within the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. from Brown University's Religious Studies program. Her research focuses on the history of Hindu religions in South and Southeast Asia, emphasizing intersections of text, image, monument, and landscape. She is a primary Research Collaborator in the European Research Council's PURANA project and co-editor-in-chief of the open-access journal PURANA Media. Additionally, she co-directs the More-than-human Religion project, exploring nonhuman agency in religious contexts. Her scholarly contributions include books like Mapping the Pāśupata Landscape (2020) and Primary Sources and Asian Pasts (2021). Her research has been supported by prestigious grants from the Getty Foundation, ACLS, and NEH. Recent articles highlight environmental and epigraphic studies in early West Java, Śaiva traditions in South and Southeast Asia, and temple architecture's material dimensions. Cecil’s work bridges archaeology, religious studies, and history, often analyzing inscriptions and monuments to reconstruct ancient religious practices and landscapes. She collaborates on interdisciplinary projects, such as the Material Texts journal issue, exploring religion and mobility. Her academic roles include advising on FSU’s Native American and Indigenous Studies initiatives.
David Hernandez is the Eli J. and Helen Shaheen Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Notre Dame, affiliated with the Department of Anthropology. He holds a PhD in Classical Archaeology from the University of Cincinnati and a B.A. in Physics from UC Berkeley. His research focuses on ancient urbanism in Greece, Albania, and Italy, particularly Roman imperialism and Hellenistic architecture. He directs the Roman Forum Excavations Project at Butrint, a UNESCO site in Albania, and co-directs projects at Rome's Mausoleum of Hadrian and Tivoli's Hadrian's Villa. Education: Ph.D. and M.A. in Classical Archaeology (University of Cincinnati, 2010 and 2004), B.A. in Physics (UC Berkeley, 1996). Research Interests: Archaeology of ancient urbanism, Roman colonization, imperial cult, Latin epigraphy, and excavation methodologies. His fieldwork includes projects at Butrint’s necropolis, Amantia, and Mursi. He has received grants from the Loeb Foundation, ACLS, Packard Humanities Institute, and Notre Dame’s Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts. Publications include Butrint 7: Beyond Butrint (2020) and numerous articles on Roman urbanism, archaeobotany, and Epirus history. He teaches courses on Roman archaeology, Pompeii, and the archaeology of early Rome. Awards: Loeb Classical Library Fellowships, ACLS Fellowship, and keynotes at major archaeological conferences. His work bridges archaeology with environmental studies, examining how urban centers adapted to ecological challenges across antiquity.
