ISAW Commencement 2026
ISAW is proud to congratulate four students – Kyle Brunner, Mariana Castro, Emily Frank, and Katherine Thomson – who were awarded doctoral degrees in January 2026. The ISAW community celebrated the graduates and their accomplishments at an in-person graduation ceremony and reception on May 13, 2026 and at the NYU Graduate School of Arts and Science Doctoral Convocation on May 8, 2026.
Our PhD Graduates
KYLE BRUNNER
Dissertation Title: "The Rise of Islam in North Mesopotamia and the Founding of Umayyad al-Jazīra"
Kyle Brunner earned his BA in History and Classics, with a concentration in Languages and Literature and a minor in Archaeology, from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2014. His research investigates the social history of rural communities in the Middle East from the Late Roman/Sasanian period through the Early Islamic period, with particular attention to interactions between local settled and pastoral communities, state administration, and religious communities.
At ISAW, Kyle challenged disciplinary and methodological boundaries to better understand the history of local communities in the Middle East upon the rise of Islam, and how those local communities participated in both old and new socioeconomic systems through the course of Late Antiquity.
His advisor, Robert Hoyland, comments: “During his time at ISAW Kyle became an expert in the art of reading Arabic and Syriac manuscripts, a master in the science of map-making, and proficient in the skill of interpreting complex archaeological survey data.”
MARIANA CASTRO
Dissertation Title: "Studies on Turquoise: Ancient Connectivity, Peripheral Landscapes, and Pastoralist Economies in Central Eurasia BCE"
Mariana Castro holds a BA with Honors in Archaeology and Asian Studies from Brigham Young University, where she focused on Classical and Chinese history, languages, and archaeology. She continued her studies at the University of Oxford as an Ertegun Scholar, receiving a Distinction for her work across landscape and frontier archaeology, geographical information systems, and site management and protection.
Mariana is deeply invested in the interaction between academia, NGOs, and governments, and seeks ways to better integrate digital technologies, cultural heritage studies, and international development into her archaeological practice.
At ISAW, Mariana focused on the archaeology of mobility, interaction, and extractivism in pre-Islamic landscapes, particularly through the lenses of marginality and the material underpinnings of long-distance connectivity across ancient Central Eurasia.
Her advisor, Sören Stark, comments: “Mariana’s doctoral thesis clearly carries Mariana’s intellectual DNA — it is as engaging as Mariana is, it challenges received wisdom as Mariana does, and it is as ambitious in scope, both geographically and methodologically, as Mariana herself is. An extraordinary thesis, written by an extraordinary young scholar.”
EMILY FRANK
Dissertation Title: "Changing Sculpture: Object-Enacted Agency and the Craftscape of Intervention in the Roman Imperial Period"
Emily Frank came to ISAW with extensive training in conservation, art history, and archaeology. She received an MS in Conservation of Artistic and Historic Works and an MA in History of Art and Archaeology from the Institute of Fine Arts at NYU in 2018, following an MA in Principles of Conservation from the Institute of Archaeology at University College London and a BA in Art History, with minors in Chemistry and Archaeology, from McGill University. Emily has focused her studies on the ways that study informed by conservation, technical imaging, and scientific analysis of material culture can contribute to understanding of the ancient world.
Her advisor, Sebastian Heath, comments: “To the extent Emily came to ISAW wanting to forge a path by which conservation could come into the heart of art historical and archaeological discourse, she did. And she did that while maintaining and growing her role in the profession. Seeing how active you are within a landscape of craft and ideas, we’re so glad you joined our community, so glad you wrote such an excellent dissertation, and congratulate you on everything you did here.”
Emily is currently an Objects Conservator at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, and an Objects and Sculpture Conservator at EBFC, LLC.
KATHERINE THOMSON
Dissertation Title: "Currency Conventions in the Early Roman Empire"
Katherine Thomson holds a BA with Honours in Ancient History from the Australian National University and an MPhil in Economic and Social History from the University of Oxford. Her interests center on the development of fiscal and monetary institutions in the ancient world. Katherine’s research at ISAW presents an interdisciplinary study that combines economic and historical theory with numismatic, archaeological, and literary evidence to shed light on the ways that Romans spoke about and interacted with their currency and economy, tracing the evolution of Roman currency confidence in the first two centuries CE.
Her advisor, Sebastian Heath, comments: “Kate brought thought and material together. Her dissertation is a major and fresh contribution to the study of Roman monetary systems, public trust, and economic behavior. She did this work while also serving as a leader in the ISAW community, demonstrating care for her fellow students and contributing meaningfully to academic life at the Institute.”
2026 ISAW Graduates Katherine Thomson (left), Emily Frank (center), and Kyle Brunner (right)
Graduate Emily Frank with ISAW Leon Levy Director, Greg Woolf (left of Frank) and her parents (left of Woolf)
Left to right: Sebastian Heath, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Hoyland, Kyle Brunner and Sören Stark