Research

Research Opportunities:
- Areas of expertise covered in the programme.
  - Critical & Contemporary Heritage Studies (Understanding how heritage is created, contested, interpreted, and used in society, with emphasis on memory, identity, difficult heritage, and global cultural debates);
  - Eco-Cultural Heritage Futures & Digital Innovation (Foresight, scenario‑building, and future‑thinking combined with cutting‑edge digital tools such as AI, VR/AR, 3D modelling, and digital‑born heritage environments);
  - Global Heritage Governance (Competence in UNESCO conventions, international heritage policies, listing systems, and sustainable heritage governance);
  - Rights‑Based & Community‑Centred Heritage (Approaches grounded in human rights, participation, living heritage, community economies, and inclusive governance);
  - Scientific Analysis & Conservation Technologies (Material science, diagnostics, and laboratory techniques used to analyse, preserve, and restore both movable and immovable cultural heritage);
  - Geoarchaeology & Virtual Reconstruction (Study of site formation processes, sediment analysis, and digital documentation using photogrammetry, laser scanning, GIS, and virtual 3D reconstruction);
  - Climate Change, Risks & Sustainable Preservation (Understanding environmental risks, climate impacts, decay mechanisms, and sustainable mitigation strategies for heritage protection);
  - Hands‑On Conservation & Restoration (Practical skills in diagnosing, treating, and documenting conservation interventions across materials such as paintings, ceramics, stone, paper, metals, and textiles);
  - Documentation, Interpretation & Heritage Valorisation (Recording, surveying, audiovisual documentation, storytelling, interpretation, and heritage enhancement strategies for tangible and intangible heritage);
  - Ethics, Professional Integrity & Academic Writing (Ethical decision‑making, intellectual responsibility, research integrity, academic writing skills, and responsible use of AI in scholarly work);
- Profiles of faculty members involved.
Ongoing Projects:
- Descriptions of current research collaborations.
- Opportunities for student involvement.
Thesis & Internships:
- Guidelines for the master’s thesis and available internship opportunities – will be published on this page after the official Erasmus Mundus application results are released.
  - The Master’s thesis may be completed in one of several distinguished formats, each fully aligned with the academic expectations of the Erasmus Mundus framework:
    - A traditional, formally argued dissertation, demonstrating depth of scholarship and advanced critical reasoning;
    - A scientific article published in a reputable international journal, accepted for publication, or submitted and judged by the two supervisors to be of publishable quality;
    - An expertly curated exhibition, showcasing intellectual conception, scholarly interpretation, and creative presentation;
    - A multifaceted project of equivalent academic merit, integrating research, innovation, and professional practice;
  - Across all formats, the thesis must exemplify
    - intellectual rigour, originality, and a meaningful contribution to the wider field of eco-cultural heritage studies.
- Internships:
  - Immersive field practice in partner countries—Czechia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Türkiye—integrating site work, documentation, community engagement, and heritage communication.
  - Placements in museums, research centers, or heritage institutions.