Dr. Jacopo Bruno is an archaeologist and ceramic expert specialising in the material culture and ceramic production of regions such as Central Asia, north-eastern Iran, and the Near East. He holds a BA and MA in Ancient Near Eastern Archaeology from the University of Turin. In 2017 he received a Ph.D. in Central Asian Archaeology from the University of Turin. He has been actively involved in archaeological activities in Turkmenistan (Old Nisa, 2009-2019), Uzbekistan (Bukhara Oasis, 2017-present), Iran (Seymareh Dam project, 2014), Iraq (Tūlūl al-Baqarat, 2017-2021) and Iraqi Kurdistan (Yasin Tepe 2023-present). Since 2020, he has been a member of the editorial board of the international peer-reviewed journal Parthica. Between 2020 and 2021, he was involved in the scientific coordination of the restoration of the Sumerian Gallery of the Iraq Museum, Baghdad.
He is currently a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Iranian Studies at the Austrian Academy of Sciences, working on the stand-alone project "A tale of pots and people. An unwritten material history of everyday life in the Bukhara Oasis during the long first millennium", funded by the FWF.

She holds a doctorate in Archaeology from the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and a doctorate in Geosciences from the University of Toulouse, France. Her research focused on the geochemical applications of isotope analysis in archaeological materials, primarily human and faunal bones and teeth, to reconstruct diet and determine the geological provenance of pre-colonial coastal Brazilian populations. She has extensive experience in zooarchaeology, particularly in South American Brazilian shellmounds, which was the focus of her bachelor's and master's research.
She has worked as an archaeologist in several preventive archaeology projects, gaining experience in both field and laboratory work, as well as cultural heritage education. She was also one of the creators of Sambaquis: A History Before Brazil, the first Brazilian archaeology-themed game.
Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher in the ERC Starting Grant HUE project, working in the new geochemical laboratory with mass spectrometry and isotope analysis of ancient pigments.

M. Bianca D’Anna (PhD 2019) is Project Coordinator (50%) for the Research Infrastructure Heritage Science at the ÖAI, focusing on the implementation of the E-RIHS.at node, dissemination activities, and securing new funding. From May 2026, she will also join the University of Innsbruck as a Postdoctoral Researcher (30%) in the project "TAGS: Materialities of Annihilation and Resistance: Prisoner Tags from the Mauthausen Concentration Camp", funded by the ÖAW program "Heritage Science Austria 2.0". In this role, she is responsible for data collection; documentation of reference tags in cooperation with concentration camps memorials in Austria, Poland and Germany; macro-analyses of production marks; conducting statistical analyses and object biography in collaboration with the PI of the project (Prof. Barbara Hausmai).

Complete title: -

Type: Dissertation

University: University of Vienna

Advisor: E.Mohandesan

Short description: I am a first year PhD student at the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology at Vienna University. My research focuses on human mobility and social organisation from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age in the Carpathian Basin (CB). During this time period, the social structures were shaped by multiple waves of steppe-related migrations, resulting in pronounced cultural and genetic diversity across the region, particularly along an east-west gradient. Alongside these population movements, ritual practices also underwent significant changes, involving horses. My research aims to investigate how human mobility and horse-related practices jointly influenced genetic diversity, social organisation, and ritual life by integrating ancient DNA data from both human and horse remains.

Complete title: »Continuity and Change from the Late Iron Age to the End of the Parthian Period in Northern Iraq / Kurdistan Region based on Excavation Finds and Contexts.« 

Type: Dissertation

University: University of Vienna

Advisor: M. Jursa

Short description: My dissertation investigates how Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, Achaemenid, Seleucid, and Parthian expansions shaped local communities in the Shahrizor region. Using an interdisciplinary approach that combines archaeological, historical, and settlement analysis, I trace local continuities and the selective adoption of imperial forms through ceramics, architecture, and small finds.

Complete title: »Ancient Pigment Trade and Production during the Hellenistic and Roman periods in the Mediterranean Region.« 

Type: Dissertation

University: University of Vienna

Advisors: A.Rodler, C. Koeberl

Short description: New multidisciplinary strategies that involves synthesis and
processing of ancient pigments; geochemical analysis of raw materials and pigments used in archaeological contexts; micro sampling methods; and the implementation of a data base and data modelling strategies to both document and look for relationships between current and previous research.

I am a Roman archaeologist specialized in the study of stone materials, marble decoration, and construction techniques in the Roman world. My academic background combines classical archaeology with archaeometry, allowing me to analyse archaeological materials using both historical and scientific approaches. I have extensive experience in the study of marble revetments, pavements, and architectural decoration from domestic and public contexts, especially in Roman Hispania. My work also includes archaeological fieldwork, project coordination, and the application of digital tools such as GIS and new technologies for the analysis and management of archaeological data. In addition to research, I am actively involved in university teaching and public outreach, with a strong commitment to sharing archaeological knowledge with both academic audiences and the wider public.

My research focuses on bioarchaeology and archaeothanatology, with particular emphasis on mortuary practices, biological identity, and life history of past populations. Using a multiproxy approach that integrates macroscopic and histological analyses with osteology, paleopathology, isotopic studies, and funerary context, I investigate the interactions between individuals and their environments, whether natural, social, communal, or cultural. My research encompasses periods ranging from the Upper Paleolithic to the modern period, with a particular focus on individuals who died in early childhood. Through field and lab work, as well as international and interdisciplinary collaborations, my work aims to trace biological and social identities, as well as life courses, in order to address broader  social and cultural dynamics.

Complete title: »Die mittelbronzezeitlichen Hügelgräber von Unterradlberg« 

Type: Masterarbeit

University: University of Vienna

Advisor: Katharina Rebay-Salisbury

Short description: I’m a prehistoric archaeologist who focuses on burial practices, bioarchaeological methods, material culture and chronology of the
Central European Metal Ages. In my dissertation project, 'In the midst of change', I explore the shift from inhumation to cremation, and the associated developments in mortuary/funerary behaviour during the Middle Bronze Age (c. 1600–1300/1200 BCE) in Upper and Lower Austria. Within this project, I evaluate archaeological and bioarchaeological data of smaller Middle Bronze Age sites north of and alongside the Danube to gain insights into past communities’ behaviours and their treatment of the dead.

The HIEROTOPOI project, titled "Historizing Interrituality with the Environment and Religious Orography in Topographic Interactions," investigates the dynamic relationship between religion and nature in ancient Greek and Roman societies. Running from 2026 to 2029, this interdisciplinary initiative combines archaeology, history, and religious studies to explore how ancient communities transformed organic environments into sacred landscapes. Moving beyond urban-centric approaches, the research examines how rituals, myths, and daily practices imbued natural features—such as mountains and springs—with religious significance. The methodology integrates textual analysis, epigraphy, and spatial analysis within a framework of ritual theory and phenomenology. By analyzing these ancient human-nature interactions, HIEROTOPOI aims not only to provide a holistic view of ancient religion but also to offer historical perspectives valuable to contemporary ecological debates regarding sustainable living and the social construction of the environment. - Funding: FWF (Principal Investigator Project) - Grant-DOI 10.55776/PAT2141125

Mgr. Martin Valent researches Late Bronze Age societies in Central Europe, specializing in hillfort settlements and use-wear analysis of bronze artifacts. As an early-career researcher, he earned his BA in Archaeology and Museology (2023) and MA in Archaeology (2026) from Masaryk University, Czech Republic. He currently serves as a use-wear specialist at the Department of Archaeology and Museology, Masaryk University.

Complete title: »Life and death of children and adolescents during the Early Bronze Age in Central Europe. The non-adult individuals from the burial ground Weiden am See.« 

Type: Dissertation

University: University of Vienna

Advisor: K. Rebay-Salisbury

Short description: The dissertation project aims to examine the differences in burial rites, social roles, status and health between male and female non-adults in the Early Bronze Age in Central Europe, a key period in European prehistory, during which metalworking became widespread, the first centralised settlements emerged, and social differences became clearly visible in the archaeological record. As age and sex can influence social roles and responsibilities in many societies, estimating age at death and biological sex is essential for understanding the organisation and structure of past societies. The Weiden am See burial ground, located in Burgenland, comprises approximately 200 graves, a third of which are burials of non-adults. As part of the dissertation project, the graves of all adult and non-adult individuals from the Early Bronze Age cemetery Weiden am See will be examined archaeologically, osteologically and by using amelogenin peptide analysis.