Bio

Katharyn Hanson, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of The Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TARII) and is a Smithsonian Fellow with the Smithsonian Institution's Museum Conservation Institute. She works as an archaeologist specializing in the protection of cultural heritage. Katharyn received her doctorate from the University of Chicago with a dissertation entitled: Considerations of Cultural Heritage: Threats to Mesopotamian Archaeological Sites. She has curated museum exhibits and published on damage to ancient sites in Iraq and Syria. Her research combines archaeology, remote sensing, and cultural heritage policy. Dr. Hanson has been involved in various archaeological fieldwork projects for over 20 years and works to promote on-the-ground action to protect culture. She directs the Archaeological Site Preservation Programs at the Iraqi Institute for the Conservation of Antiquities and Heritage in Erbil, Iraq and is in the process of establishing TARII’s office in Baghdad.