Bernard Frischer
Core Faculty
Bernard Frischer
Bernard Frischer is a Research Professor in the Department of Informatics at Indiana University. He is a digital archaeologist who writes about virtual heritage, Classics, and the survival of the Classical world. He received his B.A. in Classics from Wesleyan University (CT) in 1971 and his Ph.D. in Classics from the University of Heidelberg in 1975. From 1974 to 1976, he had a two-year Prix de Rome fellowship at the American Academy in Rome, where he studied Roman topography and archaeology, worked in the Fototeca Unione as a photographer and topographer and served two summers as assistant professor in the Academy's summer program on Roman topography. He taught Classics at UCLA from 1976 until 2004. He served as director of Humanities Computing at UCLA from 1987-88 and founded the Cultural Virtual Reality Laboratory in 1996. In the fall of 2004, he moved to the University of Virginia, where he continued the work of his old UCLA lab under the new name of Virtual World Heritage Laboratory and was also Professor of Art History and Classics. In 2013, he joined the School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University, bringing the Virtual World Heritage Laboratory with him. At Indiana, he co-directs the Virtual Heritage track. Virtual Heritage is a new field studying ways of applying the new 3D technologies to research and instruction in fields such as anthropology, art and architectural history, and conservation science.
Gabriele Guidi
Gabriele Guidi is Professor of Informatics at Indiana University (USA), where he co-directs the Virtual Heritage Track and is editor-in-chief of Studies in Digital Heritage, a joint publication of the Virtual World Heritage Laboratory and the Indiana University Library. He received his M.S. degree in Electronic Engineering in 1988 and Ph.D. in 1992 from the Universities of Florence and Bologna respectively. From 1999 he began to do research on 3D imaging technologies applied to Cultural Heritage, leading the digitization of important artworks from Donatello and Leonardo da Vinci. He developed methods for integrating active and passive 3D devices, for 3D equipment characterization and for large-scale 3D digitization in museums.He is now involved in the application of 3D Digitization to cultural heritage, industrial design, mechanical engineering, and art.
Affiliated Faculty
Julie Van Voorhis
A faculty member in Art History, Julie Van Voorhis has research interests which include Ancient Greek and Roman marble sculpture with an emphasis on the Hellenistic period, Roman Republic and Roman Empire (including the Late Empire). Additionally, she has interest in the history of collecting antiquities from the Roman Republican period to the present day. Current projects include a co-authored publication with Mark Abbe of the imperial portrait busts of Septimius Severus and Julia Domna in the Eskenazi Museum of Art.
Steve Vinson
A faculty member of the department of Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, Steve Vinson examines ancient Egyptian language and literature as well as the history of Graeco-Roman and ancient Egyptian transportation and trade, particularly involving boats and ships.
Doctoral Researchers
Kacie Alaga
Kacie Alaga is a Ph.D. student in Virtual Heritage Informatics. Her background is in architectural history and Mediterranean archaeology, with a focus on cross-cultural exchange in imperial Roman architecture of North Africa and the Levant. Her research interests lie in the application of digital technologies to the documentation and preservation of cultural heritage sites and monuments.
Matthew R. Brennan
Matt Brennan is a doctoral student in Virtual Heritage Informatics at Indiana University. He is an archaeologist, art historian, and designer with a B.S. from the University of Virginia in Architectural Design and Architectural History. He has conducted archaeological fieldwork at Cosa and Pompeii. He has also created interactive educational Virtual Reality applications. The winner of the American Academy's Booth Family Rome Prize in Conservation in 2019, Matt is currently working on his dissertation on 3D digitization of the South Theater at Hadrian’s Villa and its digital preservation.
Quinn Comprosky
Quinn Comprosky is a doctoral student in Virtual Heritage Informatics at Indiana University Bloomington. He received an undergraduate degree in Geographic Information Systems and Archaeology at DePaul University in 2022. He has participated in archaeological fieldwork in both the Pullman neighborhood in Chicago and the Eastern Black Desert of Jordan. His research interests include Landscape Archaeology, Archaeogaming, the Accessibility of museums, and how individuals navigate museum-like spaces.
Zackary Hegarty
Zack Hegarty is a Ph.D. student in Virtual Heritage Informatics at Indiana University, Bloomington. He received undergraduate degrees in Classics & Ancient Mediterranean Studies and Italian Language & Literature from the Pennsylvania State University in 2016 and an M.A. in Classical Studies from Villanova University in 2018. His research interests concern creating digital models of ancient sculpture as a means of studying the long lives of these valuable pieces of cultural heritage and also using virtual agents to understand ancient spaces so as to better understand their habitation and operation.
Ling-Fei Lin
Ling-Fei Lin is a doctoral student in Informatics, pursuing dual Ph.D. degrees in virtual heritage and Egyptology, the latter being a dream from her childhood that was re-ignited in recent years. She has also obtained degrees in Science and Technology Studies from Cornell University and Social Sciences from the University of Chicago. Her interests are broad, although they could be narrowed down to the intersection of virtual heritage and ancient Egyptian languages and cultures. Other interests include human-machine relationships, history, and sociology of science and technology.
Nicholas Plank
Nick Plank is a Ph.D. student in Virtual Heritage Informatics at Indiana University. He studied classical archaeology at the University of Virginia before receiving an MS in Informatics from Indiana University Bloomington. His research focuses on the history and epistemology of digital 3D models in cultural heritage fields, with particular emphasis on classical archaeology, art history, and museum studies. Recent research includes studies on the applications of digital 3D modeling in archaeological excavations, 3D data curation, incorporating XRF and other sensor data into 3D models, extended experientiality in museum spaces through virtual reality, and photogrammetric landscape analyses. His dissertation addresses the evolution of collecting and three-dimensional presentation in the Uffizi collections, focusing on the Tribuna, and how emergent digital technologies can improve access to and understanding of relevant cultural heritage objects through the use of virtual tools and spaces.
Michael Saari
Michael Camilo Saari is a Ph.D. student in Virtual Heritage Informatics at Indiana University. He holds a B.F.A. and a B.A. in Art & Technology and Arts Management from The Ohio State University (2019) and recently completed his M.F.A. in Digital Art at Indiana University (2023). With a foundation in new media art and emerging technologies, Saari's research is centered around a profound interest in enhancing the accessibility of extended reality experiences, such as virtual and augmented reality, within the realms of galleries and museums. His interests also encompass diverse areas like robotics, wearable technology, and physical/digital interaction design. He is also working at the UITS-RTV Advanced Visualization Lab at Indiana University which assists researchers, faculty, and students in 3D digitization, advanced visualization & displays, and virtual & augmented reality experience. His research aims to create more inclusive and engaging technological interactions that bridge the gap between culture and accessibility.
Affiliated Researchers
Matteo Lombardi
Matteo is a digital archaeologist who earned his Masters with honors in Archaeology at the Sapienza Università di Roma. He was singled out as one of the best graduate students in the 2018/2019 academic year. During his studies, alongside fieldwork and archaeological research, he has been developing IT skills in 3D modeling, digital visualizations, and 3D printing. He believes that these technologies will play a fundamental role in reconceptualizing the impact of Cultural Heritage on modern society. A recurrent theme in his work during the past five years has been the advancement and enhanced dissemination of archaeological research through the use of cutting-edge information and communication technologies. He is currently a third-year year doctoral candidate in Environmental Sustainability and Well-being at Università degli Studi di Ferrara, where his research project focuses on the role of 3D datasets and visualizations to sustainably connect scientific research, urban planning, and community initiatives.
Kelly McClinton
Kelly McClinton's research engages material and textual evidence to reconstruct identity expressions within the ancient Roman house. To explore the role of perception in domestic space, she employs digital humanities methodologies such as 3D reconstruction. Her work seeks to comprehensively engage the visual record of the Roman empire, from architecture to wall painting, and from sculpture to pottery.