Establishment of the Judith A. Lerner, Ph.D. Summer Travel Fund for doctoral students at ISAW

We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Judith A. Lerner, Ph.D. Summer Travel Fund at ISAW, and we are extremely grateful to ISAW Research Associate Judith Lerner for her generosity in creating and funding this fellowship program, which will enable one doctoral student in the pre-dissertation stage of the program annually to travel outside North America to study collections pertaining to the art and archaeology of the ancient Near East (with an emphasis on pre-Islamic Iran, time and political circumstances permitting) and, if possible, to visit pertinent archaeological and historical sites.

The first recipient of the award is first-year doctoral student Braden Cordivari, who will use the award to pursue fieldwork and research in Greece, Turkey, and the United Kingdom during summer 2022. These activities are vital to his academic trajectory and will allow him to explore important sites and museums in Turkey that he has not previously visited and that will serve as the foundation for future scientific analysis in connection with his planned dissertation topic. We look forward to hearing an update from Braden after he completes his travel!