My profiles online (current affiliations):
Research Interests
- Ancient Egyptian religion, rituals, divination, magic, interdisciplinary comparison
- Egyptian and Greek literature
- Social and economic history (especially of the Graeco-Roman period)
- Papyrology (Demotic, Greek, Coptic; multilingual texts)
- Ancient ”propaganda“ and ruler cult
- Reception of Egypt (especially in the 20th century including the so-called “Third Reich”)
- History of Egyptology and Ancient History
- Digital Humanities and 3D archaeology
- Museology and PR of museums
Education
- April 2021 Habilitation
- 2014–2020 Working on the habilitation thesis „Kultpraxis in altägyptischen Literatur– Phänomene und Funktionen“ („Cult Practices in Ancient Egyptian Literary Texts – Phenomena and Functions“) about all cult practices (rituals, divination, magic, etc.) mentioned in ancient Egyptian literary texts (Middle, Late Egyptian and Demotic)
- July 2009 PhD in Egyptology (summa cum laude, opus eximium); title of the dissertation: „‚Du wirst deine Geliebte heiraten, aber es wird dir leid tun‘ ‑ Problemlösungsstrategien im römischen Ägypten nach den Sortes Astrampsychi und den Ticket-Orakeln“ („‚You will marry your girlfriend, but you will be sorry‘ – problem solving strategies in Roman Egypt with the Sortes Astrampsychi and the ‚ticket‘ oracles“); Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Hans-Werner Fischer-Elfert (Leipzig), Prof. Dr. Mark Depauw (KU Leuven), published in 2010
- 2007 Research trip to the Laboratorio Demotico, Pisa and to the 25th Congress of Papyrology, Ann Arbor, MI
- July 2006 Participant of the 1st Summer School in Coptic Papyrology, Vienna, research trip/excursion with students to Rome and to Egypt
- July 2004‑Aug. 2009 PhD student in Egyptology
- March 2003 Research trip to Upper Egypt
- May 2004 Magister (M.A., grade 1,1; Master Thesis summa cum laude)
- October 1999‑June 2004 Studies in Egyptology, Ancient History (Papyrology and Cultural Studies/Cultural Business (Sociology/Marketing/PR) at the University of Leipzig; during this: Latinum and Graecum (degrees in Latin and Ancient Greek)
Work Experience
- since 2020 Senior research associate (tenured) at the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities Leipzig, project „KompetenzwerkD: Sächsisches Forschungszentrum und Kompetenznetzwerk für Digitale Geisteswissenschaften und Kulturelles Erbe“ and adjunct associate professor (cont.) as Leipzig University and Stellenbosch University
- Nov 2017-May 2018 on sabbatical for 6 months as visiting assistant professor the Department for Ancient Studies, Stellenbosch University (South Africa), as fellow of the European Union
- March 2017 visiting assistant professor the Department for Ancient Studies, Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
- 2015-2016 on sabbatical for the academic year at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (ISAW), New York University for further work on the Habilitation thesis „Cult Practices in Ancient Egyptian Literary Texts – Phenomena and Functions“
- Oct 2011-2019 „akademische Assistentin“ (ass. prof.) at the Egyptological Institute/Egyptian Museum, Leipzig University
- Research: publication of the dissertation; working on the habilitation thesis; publishing about further research on objects from excavations and museums, catalogues, contributions in journals and conference volumes, and on the future of the humanities (see also my publications here)
- Teaching (details here); restructuring the study courses and modules
- Directing an Egyptological library including three project libraries: procurement plus on- and offline cataloguing of books, communication with the university library, loans, security measures, book binder services, book exchanges with many foreign institutions
- Organizing scholarly and public events: exhibitions, larger museums events including VIP services, guided tours, concerts and theater performances, guest lectures, conferences, workshops
- Working for the academic administration incl. hiring of faculty and staff, planning the financial year, budgeting for institute and museum
- Fundraising for institute, museum, library and projects: academic foundations, competitions within Germany and Saxony, sponsors from the industry, patrons, circle of friends of the museum
- Corresponding with media: outreach, writing press releases, designing flyers, posters, event calendars, websites and social media, planning the presentation of Egyptology at the Leipzig Book Fair, etc.
- Preparing contracts of cooperation with academic and cultural institutions
- Apr‑Sep 2011 „akademische Assistentin“ (ass. prof.); Egyptological Institute/Egyptian Museum, Leipzig University as substitute for Prof. Tonio Sebastian Richter
- Mar 2011 research associate in the project „Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic“ (DDGLC, latest Output here)
- Oct 2010‑Feb 2011 „akademische Assistentin“ (ass. prof.); Egyptological Institute/Egyptian Museum, Leipzig University as substitute for Prof. Tonio Sebastian Richter
- Aug‑Sep 2010 research assistant in the project „Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic“ (DDGLC)
- Apr‑July 2010 „akademische Assistentin“ (ass. prof.); Egyptological Institute/Egyptian Museum, Leipzig University as substitute for Prof. Tonio Sebastian Richter
- Mar 2010 research associate in the project „Database and Dictionary of Greek Loanwords in Coptic“ (DDGLC)
- Sep 2009‑Feb 2010 „akademische Assistentin“ (ass. prof.); Egyptological Institute/Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig as substitute for Prof. Tonio Sebastian Richter
- 2005‑2008 research associate for the project „Multilingualism and Multiculturalism in Graeco-Roman Egypt“ (Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Sofja-Kovalevskaja-Award project of Mark Depauw) in Cologne/Leuven creating the database „Trismegistos„. I was responsible for „TM Magic“ (religious and magical texts in all languages and religions), school texts and literature.
- 2002‑2003 student assistant in Ancient History, Department of History, for the project „Women in Early Christianity“ and at the Egyptological Institute/Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig
- 2001‑2003 student assistant at the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities Leipzig, for the project „Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae“ (TLA)
- 2000 Student internships in Crystal Palace Variété (Marketing/PR) and Museum of Musical Instruments, Leipzig
Scholarships and Awards
- 2024-2027 fellow of the DFG network „Wort – Wirkung – Wunder Sprache und Macht in der Vormoderne zwischen Religion, Magie und Medizin / Working Wonders with Words“
- Dec 2018 Theodor-Litt-Award for excellence in teaching, together with Monica Berti
- Nov 2017- May 2018 Fellow of the European Union of the EUROSA program as visiting assistant professor and honorary research associate in Stellenbosch (South Africa)
- Apr 2017 travel fellowship of the Erasmus+ program and the Research Academy to conferences and meetings at the Hebrew University Jerusalem and to New York and New Haven (Yale)
- Mar 2017 Fellow of the Erasmus+ program as visiting assistant professor in Stellenbosch (South Africa)
- 2015-2016 Fellow of the Volkswagen Foundation as postdoc at ISAW (NYU), New York (USA)
- 2013‑2014 Fellow of the KOWA mentoring program of the University of Leipzig
- 2013 Dr. Walther Liebehenz-Award „für hervorragende Leistungen auf dem Gebiet der Ägyptologie und Koptologie und die Dissertation“ (for excellence in Egyptology and for the dissertation)
- 2010‑2012 Fellow of the Robert-Bosch-Foundation, „Fast Track Program“ for female postdocs
- 2008‑2009 Fellow of the Albertus-Magnus-Society for the PhD
- 2005‑2007 Fellow of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation for the PhD (for the same period of the Hanns- Seidel-Foundation, returned)
- 2005 travel reimbursement of the German Research Council for presenting the PhD subject in Paris
- 2004 Award of the Faculty of History, Arts and Oriental Studies, Leipzig for excellence during the study course and for the master thesis
Projects
- 2023-2026 Kulturerbe Tanz in der DDR, funded by the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism together with Leipzig University
- 2023-2024 Kirchliche Praxis in der DDR: Umsetzung einer digitalen Forschungsumgebung zur Bereitstellung und Vernetzung von Quellen und Forschungsdaten, funded by the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism
- 2022-2023 PUDEL – SaxFDM-Fokusprojekt: Publikationsdienst für wissenschaftliche Datenmodelle und Vokabulare, funded by the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism
- 2021-2025 DIKUSA – Vernetzung digitaler Kulturdaten in Sachsen zum Aufbau einer technischen Infrastruktur für die Forschung zu Mobilität, Migration und Transformation von Orten, Personen und Artefakten in zeitlicher und räumlicher Perspektive), ca. 30 employees, funded by the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism (press release), press release (PDF), press release (PDF)
- since Apr 2017 Editor in Chief of the project „Digital Rosetta Stone“ with Dr. Monica Berti, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
- 2015-2018 Cult Practice in Egyptian Literature (Volkswagen Foundation, EU EUROSA, Erasmus+)
- 2010-2014 Teaching project Processing digital data in Egyptology (DFG overhead funding)
- 2010-2011 SÄK conference project + publication (over 40 sponsors and donors, funded by the Gerda Henkel Foundation)
- 2010-2012 Lepsius exhibition project Naumburg (several donors)
- 2010‑2019 Founded and administering the institute’s and museum’s Facebook page, directed the redesign of the institute’s and museum’s website as well as the online presence of the „Zeitschrift für Ägyptische Sprache und Altertumskunde“ (ZÄS); created web standards for the entire university and designed logos for the institute and the museum together with the Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (HTWK), Faculty of Media, supervisor for study courses in Webdesign, Interface Design and Project Management (2012-2011), creation of the domains www.aegyptologisches-institut.uni-leipzig.de and www.aegyptisches-museum.uni-leipzig.de
Projects I have supported/aided/participated in (from 2020)
- 2020-2022 Multiple Transformationen. Gesellschaftliche Erfahrung und kultureller Wandel in Ostdeutschland und Ostmitteleuropa vor und nach 1989 (GWZO, HAIT, ISGV, SI; Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, Tourism)
- 2020 Althochdeutsches Wörterbuch-Nachträge (SAW household funds, Akademienunion)
- 2020 Thesaurus Linguae Aegyptiae
- 2020-2021 NFDI-Konsortium Text+
- 2020-2021 NFDI-Konsortium NFDI4Memory
- 2020-2022 Jüdische Gelehrte an der Universität Leipzig. Teilhabe, Benachteiligung und Ausschluss (DI, Virtuelle Archive, Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, Tourism)
- 2020-2022 Corona-Projekt: Vom Virus zu viralen Verschwörungstheorien (HAIT, Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, Tourism)
- since 2020 Malaja-Pereščepina-Projekt (Leibniz/GWZO & DAI)
- since 2020 „EpiMedDat“-Datenbank for The Dantean Anomaly (1309-1321). Rapid Climate Change and Late Medieval Europe in a Global Perspective (GWZO, VolkswagenStiftung)
- since 2020 Time Machine Europe – Invigorating European History with the Big Data of the Past (EU)
- 2020-2021 „Wismut-Erbe-Forschung“ (SAW, Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, Tourism & Wismut AG)
- since 2021 Zentralregister Sorbisches Kulturerbe (SI, Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture, Tourism)
- since 2022 M4 – Mitteldeutsches Methodennetzwerk für Multidimensionale Mikrodaten in den Humanities (BMBF)
- since 2023 The Minerva Center for the Relations between Israel and Aram in Biblical Times (RIAB; Bar-Ilan-University, Israel & Universität Leipzig, Max Planck Gesellschaft)
Academic Management Duties
2009–2019 head of the library of the Egyptological Institut/Egyptian Museum Leipzig (and of three project libraries (acquisition, catalogization, communicatio, loans, security, bookbinding and conservation, exchange with numerous other internationalen institutions)
2009–2019 Knowledge transfer: media relations, outreach activities, researc communication, press releases, poster and flyer design, event calendars
2009–2019 Fundraising for Institute, Museum, library and projects; raised money from national and internationalen funding bodies such as foundations ESF, BMBF, Free State of Saxony, sponsors from the free economy, private donors, association of friends
2009–2019 temporary cover (vacation etc.) of the head of the institute and museum
Organization of academic and public events: exhibitions, larger museum events (incl. VIP), tours, concerts, theater, guest lectures, conferences, workshops, Leipzig Book Fair, Wave-Gotik-Treffen etc.
2010–2019 responsible for interns (via Erasmus, high schools and middle schools, study programs, libraries, unemployment agency, ca. 10–15 interns per year)
2010–2019 responsible for the supervision of national and international guests and adjuncts
since 2010 Webmaster (several versions of Typo3, experience in WordPress and Joomla)
Organized Conferences and Scholarly Meetings
- Sept 2024 5th SaxFDM Conference, Freiberg
- April 2024 DIKUSA Halbzeitbilanz, SLUB Dresden
- 2024 Workshops about Linked Open Data in Historic Disciplines, Citizen Science, Digital Curation
- Oct 2023 4th SaxFDM Conference, Chemnitz
- Oct 2023 Territorien, Routen, Punkte, Gebäude: Aktuelle Trends in der Visualisierung historischer Daten. Sächsische Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Leipzig
- Sept 2023 Panel about DIKUSA on the 54th Deutscher Historikertag, Leipzig (SAW was a host institution)
- 2023 DIKUSA Workshops, e.g. about ,
- Oct 2022 3rd SaxFDM Conference, Leipzig
- 2022 Workshops about Research Data Management, Curating analogue and digital exhibitions, Law and Ethics in Research, Interviews
- Sept 2021 2nd SaxFDM Conference
- 2021 Workshops about Research Data Management
- Dec 2020 4th Digital Humanties Day Leipzig (DHDL)
- 2020 Workshops about Research Data Management, Open Access, Science Communication
- Feb 2019 Workshop „The Benefit of the Doubt. Between Scepticism and Godlessness, Critique or Indifference in Ancient Mediterranean Religious Traditions„, HU Berlin (with Dr. Nicole Hartmann, Theology, Chair of Prof. Christoph Markschies)
- Sep 2017 13th International Conference of Demotic Studies, Leipzig
- Jan 2017 Workshop on university systems worldwide and foundation of the network „Gute Arbeit in der Wissenschaft“ (NGAWiss)
- May 2016 Interdisciplinary Workshop at ISAW, New York: Cult Practices in Ancient Literatures: Egyptian, Near Eastern and Graeco-Roman Narratives in a Cross-Cultural Perspective
- Jan 2016 Round table “Literary Text in Graeco-Roman Egypt” organized with Dr. Gil H. Renberg on the 147rd SCS/APA Annual Meeting in San Francisco
- Nov 2015 DHEgypt15: “Altertumswissenschaften in a Digital Age: Egyptology, Papyrology and Beyond“, Conference and Workshops with the Humboldt chair of Digital Humanities, Leipzig, organized with Dr. Monica Berti
- Spring 2015 Several Conferences for the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation and the Robert-Bosch-Foundation
- Nov 2013 Workshop with the German Rector’s Conference „Kompetenzorientierung und Wissenstransfer: Neue Lehr- und Lernstrategien in den Geschichts-, Kunst- und Orientwissenschaften“ (Compentence, Knowledge Transfer and Employability in Teaching the Humanities) at the Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Leipzig, with Juliane Bally
- Jan 2012 Panel „Greco-Egyptian Religion in Light of the Demotic Sources„, organized with Gil H. Renberg on the 143rd AIA/APA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, PA
- Nov 2011 Symposion on Sortilege in Late Antiquity in Princeton (early preparation stage)
- 2011-2019 Guest lecture series at the Egyptological Institute in Leipzig including a special edition on the 200-year anniversary of the Battle of Nations (1813) in 2003
- 2011 43rd „Ständige Ägyptologenkonferenz“ (SÄK), Leipzig
- 2010-2019 the annual Berlin-Leipzig conference „Neue Forschungen zur ägyptischen Kultur und Geschichte“ and the annual „Steindorff-Tag“ of the Egyptian Museum, Leipzig as well as special events and workshops, alumni meetings, graduation ceremonies, nights of the museums, long nights of sciences (biannual), vernissages (several per year)
- 2009-2019 annual lecture series „AEGYPTIACA“ (12 lectures per year) of the Egyptological Institute/Egyptological Museum in Leipzig (co-organizer, lecturer)
- since 2009 guided tours in the Egyptian Museum for various audiences
- 2008 2nd Summer School in Coptic Papyrology, Leipzig (co-organizer, lecturer, editor)
- 2007 39th Ständige Ägyptologenkonferenz (SÄK), Cologne (helping the organizers)
- 2005‑2007 three workshops on the history of religion, divination and rituals with Dr. Annette Hupfloher, Max-Weber-Kolleg Erfurt, in Leipzig
- 2005-2019 PhD graduation ceremony in Egyptology (co-organization, ritual texts and performance)
- 2001 „Feinde und Aufrührer. Konzepte von Gegnerschaft in ägyptischen Texten besonders des Mittleren Reiches“, Saxon Academy of Sciences and Humanities (student assistant)
Additionally, I have been asked to chair conference sections, lead discussions on politics for higher education and hosting cultural events such as book launch readings, vernissages of artists, discussions on european and global politics etc.
Museum Exhibitions
- 2022-2024 aiding museums worldwide to create a replica of the Rosetta Stone with our data from the Digital Rosetta Stone Project
- 2022 Neue Wege zu alter Weisheit (on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the decipherment of Hieroglyphs and the Rosetta Stone, Museum für Druckkunst Leipzig and Ägyptisches Museum Leipzig)
- 2020/21 digital exhibition „Aller guten Dinge sind drei“ on the Rosetta Stone (English version here)
- 2018 & 2019 exhibition of student projects, Department for Ancient Studies, Stellenbosch University (support)
- 2017 „Bekriegt. Besetzt. Bereichert. Ägypten zwischen Spätzeit und Spätantike„, Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig, MDR slide show
- 2013 „Zwischen den Welten. Grabfunde von Ägyptens Südgrenze“ (Objects from the Qubbet el- Hawa from the University of Bonn), Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig
- 2012 „Von Naumburg bis zum Blauen Nil. Die Lepsius-Expedition nach Ägypten und Nubien“, Stadtmuseum and Schlösschen am Markt, Naumburg with an accompanying lecture series
- 2012 „Georg Steindorff – Stationen eines Lebens (1861‑1951)“, Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig
- 2008 „EIS THEOS – One God!“, Egyptian Museum, University of Leipzig on occasion of the conference „Language Typology and Egyptian-Coptic Linguistics“ with the Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig (October 2008)
Academic Memberships and Editorships
- since 2023 member of the Beirat for SAVE – Sicherung des audiovisuellen Erbes in Sachsen at SLUB Dresden
- since 2023 member of the Minerva Center for the Relations between Israel and Aram in Biblical Times, see also here.
- member of several commissions (Berufung, Promotion, Habilitation)
- since 2021 Associate Editor of the series Aestimatio: Sources and Studies in the History of Science
- since May 2018 founding member of the Forum for Digital Humanities Leipzig (FDHL)
- 2018 member of the excavation team in Heliopolis (Cairo-Matariya, Egypt)
- since July 2017 honorary research associate at the Department of Ancient Studies, Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
- since 2014 series co-editor of „Kleine ägyptische Texte“ (KÄT, Harrassowitz publishing house)
- since Oct 2012 member of the executive council of the „Research Academy Leipzig„, a PhD program in the humanities with ca. 30 students, since 2015 registered PostDoc and member of the PostDoc Club
- 2012-2020 member of the „Welcome Centre“ of the University of Leipzig (a network of Leipzig scholars welcoming international guest professors)
- 2012-2018 member of „IANUS – Forschungsdatenzentrum Archäologie & Altertumswissenschaften“ of the German Archaeological Institute (DAI) Berlin
- since 2012 reviewer for the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation (KAS), later: EU, Thyssen Fundation et al.
- 2011‑2012 member of the study commission of Egyptology and Near Eastern Studies, Faculty of History, Arts and Oriental Studies
- since 2011 Co-worker for the „Demotistische Literaturübersicht“ in the print-journal „Enchoria“ and responsible for the online version in the „Trismegistos“ database (from DL 33 onwards)
- since 2011 member of the Centre for the Study of Religion (CSR), now part of the Research Centre Global Dynamics (ReCentGlobe)
- since 2022 member of the Verband der Historikerinnen und Historiker Deutschlands (VHD), Verband der Ägyptologie (VÄ, Gründungsmitglied), Internationaler Ägyptologenverband (IAE), Society for Biblical Literature (SBL)
- since 2007 member of the Association Internationale de Papyrologues (AIP) and the American Society of Papyrologists (ASP)
You would like to know more about statements on my research and teaching, a list of the project funds I have raised or a writing sample? Please do not hesitate to contact me!
References
- Prof. Dr. Hans-W. Fischer-Elfert, Leipzig University
- Prof. Dr. Izak Cornelius, Stellenbosch University
- Prof. Dr. Mark Depauw, KU Leuven