Contributors

BIAA Director

SARAT Executive

Lutgarde Vandeput is a classical archaeologist, who was educated at the Catholic University of Leuven (KULeuven) in Belgium. After her PhD, Vandeput was postdoctoral research fellow of the Fund for Scientific Research – Flanders linked to the Sagalassos Archaeological Research Project, based at the KULeuven. She was granted a Alexander von Humboldt Fellowship in 1997-1998 for which she was hosted by the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Cologne. Between 2001 and 2006, she taught at the Institute of Archaeology at the University of Cologne (Germany) as an assistant professor. She has been the director of the British Institute at Ankara (BIAA) since 2006.

Vandeput wrote her PhD on ‘The Architectural Decoration at Sagalassos'. She specialises in the study of monumental architecture, urban development and in survey archaeology.

Since she was a student, she was part of the survey and excavation team at Sagalassos. In addition, she  participated in the Pisidia Survey Project, which she then directed between 1998 and 2012. She was involved in the Aspendos Archaeological Project from 2008 to 2016.

Since the BIAA extended its remit to include work on Cultural Heritage Management in 2013, Vandeput has been involved in the BIAA Heritage Management Project, 'the Living amid the ruins' (BA Sustainable Development Programme) and the 'Safeguarding Archaeological Assets of Turkey' - SARAT (Cultural Protection Fund) grants, alongside the heritage management specialists.

Koç University

Christina Luke is Associate Professor of Archaeology and History of Art at Koç University. She also serves as Editor of the Journal of Field Archaeology. Over the years her work has included research and projects (ranging from archaeology, museum studies, and heritage policy) in Turkey, Greece, and South East Europe as well as Latin America. Her fieldwork has been funded by private foundations and sponsors as well as the American Research Institute in Turkey, the US National Science Foundation, and the US National Endowment for the Humanities. Christina’s interests include archaeology, diplomacy, development, global heritage, materiality, and socio-politics. Her work has been widely published in journals and books. Her involvement with SARAT includes colleagues at ANAMED as well as online programs at Koç University.

ICOM UK Chair

Tonya Nelson is Director of Museums and Cultural Programmes at UCL where she is responsible for UCL’s public museums, including the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Grant Museum of Zoology, and UCL Art Museum. Tonya ensures UCL’s world class collection of over 300,000 painting, artefacts and specimens are used to advance teaching, research and public engagement with arts and heritage. She is also Chair of the UK Committee of the International Council of Museum (ICOM) and sits on the Board of Trustees of the National Gallery.

Koç University Anatolian Civilizations Research Center (ANAMED)

Post-Doctoral Researcher, 2017-2019

Cemil Bezmen graduated from Boğaziçi University Physics Department. He took part in the “Prehistoric Silver Mining” project of B.U. History Department as archeometry field assistant.  He guided mountain and trekking tours in various regions of Anatolia.   

Bezmen received his Ph.D. degree in Social Anthropology from University of Cambridge. The title of his dissertation was “Tourism and Islam in Cappadocia”.   

He worked as field researcher in "Turkish Museum Service" project, run by British Institute of Archaeology at Ankara and submitted to the Ministry Culture and Tourism. He guided cultural tours in Turkey for English speaking groups all over Turkey.

Executive Director of ICOM UK 

Dana Andrew is the Executive Director of the International Council of Museums UK (ICOM UK) and an independent museum and gallery consultant, trainer and project manager specialising in touring exhibitions and international projects.

ICOM UK is the only museum association in the UK dedicated to international work, connecting museum professionals to the global museum community, the issues that affect it, and professional colleagues worldwide.

Before starting as Executive Director, Dana managed the Working Internationally Regional Project (WIRP) for ICOM UK, National Museum Directors’ Council and the British Council.  The WIRP was a three-year Arts Council England funded project to support regional and local museums develop the knowledge and confidence to work internationally through a programme of research, international travel grants, a series of workshops and extensive online resources.

Prior to going freelance in 2014, Dana spent 13 years successfully delivering UK and international projects and exhibitions for the British Council Visual Arts Department, the Hayward Gallery and the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.  She is an active committee member of TEG (Touring Exhibitions Group), delivering touring exhibitions training and mentoring, and wrote the International Touring chapter of the TEG online manual.  Dana is also a participant in the AIM Hallmarks Enablers Programme in 2017-18. 

ICOM UK

Museum Specialist

Jane Weeks is a consultant specialising in strategic planning and project management in the heritage sector. She has worked with cultural heritage organisations and national, institutional and independent museums in the UK and abroad. She has delivered museum and heritage projects in Brazil, China, India, Iran, Romania, Bulgaria, the Balkans, the Gulf, and the Middle East and has a broad network of international contacts.

Jane trained as an archaeologist and began her career at the Museum of London, later joining the National Maritime Museum. She acted as Museums and Heritage Adviser to the British Council from 2000-2017.

In 2016, she was part of the team that developed the Cultural Protection Fund, a £30m fund managed by the British Council in partnership with the Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport. The Fund supports efforts to keep cultural heritage sites and objects safe, as well as the recording, conservation and restoration of cultural heritage, and the provision of opportunities to local communities for training and education.

Photographer

Caner Şenyuva started his career as an engineer and then later switched to his childhood aspiration photography. As a professional photographer he focused on excavation, event, industrial, architectural, product and stage photography. He has shared his experiences through some courses. His artistic works are published in various books and opened an exhibition “Afghanistan, Towards the Dawning Days” in 2009.

Cultural Heritage Management Expert

Ayşegül Yılmaz received her Ph.D. degree in Urban and Regional Planning and Design from the University of Maryland at College Park in the United States, and her Master’s and Bachelor's degrees from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara. As a heritage practitioner Ayşegül is interested in strategies that combine natural and cultural heritage conservation with socioeconomic development. Her research interests include cultural heritage theory and management; conservation governance and policy; the World Heritage Convention, World Heritage Sites and their inclusive management; innovative heritage interpretation methods; and cultural tourism. In recent years, Ayşegül has taught courses in the area of cultural heritage management in the tourism management departments of Boğaziçi University and İstanbul Bilgi University. She has also been involved as a heritage expert in various national and international cultural heritage management and cultural tourism development projects.