ISAW Welcomes Incoming Cohort of PhD Students for Fall 2026
Safa Abdulaziz
Safa Abdulaziz holds a BA in Classical Studies from the University of Lorraine (France), awarded as an equivalence for the CPGE programme she completed (a two- to three-year intensive course preparing students for the entrance examinations to the French Grandes Écoles). She was then admitted to the École normale supérieure (ENS) de la rue d'Ulm in Paris. During her time at the ENS, she earned a master's degree in Humanities/Ancient Worlds: Languages, Texts, Images. Her master's thesis examined an early correspondence between Ibn Sina and Al-Biruni during their youth: "Al-As'ilah wa'l-Ajwibah: Ten Questions and Answers on Aristotle's De Caelo (critical edition, translation, and commentary)". She spent a year preparing for the Agrégation de Lettres classiques (a highly competitive exam qualifying candidates to teach Greek, Latin, and French language and literature at an advanced level), which she successfully passed in 2023. As part of an exchange programme between the ENS Ulm and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, she spent a year in the United States as a junior lecturer. There, she taught French and offered a one-semester literature course on short narrative forms, "Intensités: récits brefs de langue française". After completing her studies at the ENS Ulm, she received the school's diploma in 2026. Over the course of these six years, in addition to studying ancient languages and civilizations, she also pursued coursework in Greek and Arabic philosophy, history and philosophy of science, modern literature, arts, and introductory courses in scientific disciplines.
Dor Heimberg
Dor Heimberg completed his B.A. and M.A. studies at the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His B.A. included training in the archaeology of the Classical and Islamic periods in the southern Levant, Egyptology, and Asian Studies. His master’s thesis in Chinese Archaeology focused on riverine transportation and mobility in pre-imperial Southwestern China, with an emphasis on the Warring States period. Alongside his coursework, he has gained extensive fieldwork experience in multiple projects, including several seasons with the ERC-funded “The Wall: People and Ecology in Medieval China and Mongolia” project, focusing on the long wall systems of the Liao and Jin dynasties, conducting excavations and field surveys in Mongolia. His research draws on spatial analysis, landscape archaeology, art history, and phenomenology.
Yuchen Liu
Yuchen Liu received his BA (2023) and MA (2026) in Art History from the University of Tokyo. He first entered the field with a strong interest in arms and armour, particularly Japanese swords (katana). His undergraduate thesis presented a comparative study of the ancient swords in Nara Period Japan and Tang China. His research has then expanded to the study of metalwork more broadly, as well as the networks of cultural exchange linking ancient East Asia with Central and West Asia. His MA thesis focused on the Sassanian-style ewer, with emphasis on the Dragon-headed Ewer in Hōryūji Treasures, examining the object's function and shifting meanings across East Asia within local socio-political and cultural contexts. Alongside his academic activities, Yuchen has worked as a professional knife sharpener at a Japanese kitchen knife store and has received training in metalworking techniques, including hammering, chasing, and gilding. These experiences have enabled him to approach research objects from a practical perspective.