Research

• Viterbi Program in Mediterranean Jewish Studies
  College of Letters and Science: Humanities
  UCLA funded a pilot program in Italian Jewish studies in 2004 and created the Viterbi Family Endowment in Mediterranean Jewish Studies in 2008. The program looks beyond traditional political boundaries in order to understand transnational commercial and intellectual connections between different groups of people.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Sarah Stein
  (Updated: Feb 27 2023)

• Tahrir Square, Egypt, and the Unfinished Revolution
  Graduate School of Education and Information Studies
  Studied how technologies have shaped mainstream media and journalism, which then impact the demonstrations and protests of those who do not have Internet access, speculating on how regimes such as North Korea may be affected by increased access to social media.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Ramesh Srinivasan
  (Updated: Apr 07 2023)

• Deir el-Ballas Field Project
  College of Letters and Science: Social Sciences
  The fieldwork at the site of Deir el-Ballas, located in Upper Egypt, comprised of determining the function of the excavated structures and archaeobotany. The site preserves a palace with an associated settlement dating from the end of the Second Intermediate Period into the early 18th Dynasty.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Nicholas Brown
  (Updated: Apr 19 2023)

• Blackwell Companion to the Sasanian Empire
  College of Letters and Science: Humanities
  This project is designed as an exhaustive introduction to the multifaceted Sasanian world. It simultaneously contextualizes Sasanian cultural practices in the continuity of Iranian traditions and exposes the extent of Sasanian interactions with empires and cultures of late antiquity.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Rahim Shayegan
  (Updated: Apr 28 2023)

• A History of the Sasanian Empire
  College of Letters and Science: Humanities
  The project of a History of the Sasanian Empire, a multi-volume undertaking contracted with Cambridge University Press, shall greatly benefit from the wealth of programmatic offerings on the Sasanian empire hosted by the Pourdavoud Center.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Rahim Shayegan
  (Updated: Apr 28 2023)

• Growing and Grinding: Argicultural Production in Neolithic and Greco-Roman Fayum (Egypt)
  College of Letters and Science: Humanities
  Since 2003, the Fayum Project has conducted surveys and excavations north and northeast of Lake Qarun in the Fayum. The project studies the ancient landscape along the lake shores and the use of land and water over time for the development of agriculture.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Willeke Wendrich
  (Updated: May 16 2023)

• Averroës Lecture Series on Jewish Communities in Muslim Lands
  International Institute
  The Averroës Lecture Series focuses on Jewish communities living in Muslim lands prior to the 20th century. The program offers quarterly lectures by experts from around the world, publishes an occasional paper series, and culminates in a major conference featuring young scholars engaged in research on the topic.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Ali Behdad
  (Updated: May 17 2023)

• UCLA Coffins Project
  College of Letters and Science: Humanities
  Kara Cooney's 21st Dynasty Coffins Project (also known as the UCLA Coffins Project) is an ongoing research endeavor started in 2008. Equipped with high-definition cameras and a passion for learning, Cooney takes her research team to investigate coffin reuse in the Third Intermediate Period.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Kara Cooney
  (Updated: Aug 07 2023)

• Mohi Eldin Ellabbad Personal Archive
  UCLA Library
  The Modern Endangered Archives Program of UCLA funds the surveying of the archive of the prolific Egyptian artist, writer and bookmaker, Mohi Eldin Ellabbad (1940-2010). His studio in Cairo, Egypt, houses an abundant archive that documents the artist’s work, process and experimentation.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Rachel Deblinger
  (Updated: Nov 02 2023)

• Photo Negatives from the Arab Image Foundation
  UCLA Library
  The Modern Endangered Archives Program of UCLA funds the digitization of negatives from the Arab Image Foundation’s collections, revealing diverse photographic practices and underrepresented cultural histories. The materials represent a range of photography methods practiced in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria in various settings.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Rachel Deblinger
  (Updated: Sep 18 2024)

Education/Training

• Averroës Lecture Series on Jewish Communities in Muslim Lands
  International Institute
  The Averroës Lecture Series focuses on Jewish communities living in Muslim lands prior to the 20th century. The program offers quarterly lectures by experts from around the world, publishes an occasional paper series, and culminates in a major conference featuring young scholars engaged in research on the topic.
  Project Contact:

  Project website

  Ali Behdad

Graduate School of Education and Information Studies

• Tahrir Square, Egypt, and the Unfinished Revolution
  Research
  Studied how technologies have shaped mainstream media and journalism, which then impact the demonstrations and protests of those who do not have Internet access, speculating on how regimes such as North Korea may be affected by increased access to social media.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Ramesh Srinivasan
  (Updated: Apr 07 2023)

College of Letters and Science: Humanities

• Viterbi Program in Mediterranean Jewish Studies
  Research|
  UCLA funded a pilot program in Italian Jewish studies in 2004 and created the Viterbi Family Endowment in Mediterranean Jewish Studies in 2008. The program looks beyond traditional political boundaries in order to understand transnational commercial and intellectual connections between different groups of people.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Sarah Stein
  (Updated: Feb 27 2023)

• Blackwell Companion to the Sasanian Empire
  Research|
  This project is designed as an exhaustive introduction to the multifaceted Sasanian world. It simultaneously contextualizes Sasanian cultural practices in the continuity of Iranian traditions and exposes the extent of Sasanian interactions with empires and cultures of late antiquity.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Rahim Shayegan
  (Updated: Apr 28 2023)

• A History of the Sasanian Empire
  Research|
  The project of a History of the Sasanian Empire, a multi-volume undertaking contracted with Cambridge University Press, shall greatly benefit from the wealth of programmatic offerings on the Sasanian empire hosted by the Pourdavoud Center.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Rahim Shayegan
  (Updated: Apr 28 2023)

• Growing and Grinding: Argicultural Production in Neolithic and Greco-Roman Fayum (Egypt)
  Research|
  Since 2003, the Fayum Project has conducted surveys and excavations north and northeast of Lake Qarun in the Fayum. The project studies the ancient landscape along the lake shores and the use of land and water over time for the development of agriculture.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Willeke Wendrich
  (Updated: May 16 2023)

• UCLA Coffins Project
  Research|
  Kara Cooney's 21st Dynasty Coffins Project (also known as the UCLA Coffins Project) is an ongoing research endeavor started in 2008. Equipped with high-definition cameras and a passion for learning, Cooney takes her research team to investigate coffin reuse in the Third Intermediate Period.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Kara Cooney
  (Updated: Aug 07 2023)

International Institute

• Averroës Lecture Series on Jewish Communities in Muslim Lands
  Research, Education
  The Averroës Lecture Series focuses on Jewish communities living in Muslim lands prior to the 20th century. The program offers quarterly lectures by experts from around the world, publishes an occasional paper series, and culminates in a major conference featuring young scholars engaged in research on the topic.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Ali Behdad
  (Updated: May 17 2023)

College of Letters and Science: Social Sciences

• Deir el-Ballas Field Project
  Research
  The fieldwork at the site of Deir el-Ballas, located in Upper Egypt, comprised of determining the function of the excavated structures and archaeobotany. The site preserves a palace with an associated settlement dating from the end of the Second Intermediate Period into the early 18th Dynasty.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Nicholas Brown
  (Updated: Apr 19 2023)

UCLA Library

• Mohi Eldin Ellabbad Personal Archive
  Research|
  The Modern Endangered Archives Program of UCLA funds the surveying of the archive of the prolific Egyptian artist, writer and bookmaker, Mohi Eldin Ellabbad (1940-2010). His studio in Cairo, Egypt, houses an abundant archive that documents the artist’s work, process and experimentation.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Rachel Deblinger
  (Updated: Nov 02 2023)

• Photo Negatives from the Arab Image Foundation
  Research|
  The Modern Endangered Archives Program of UCLA funds the digitization of negatives from the Arab Image Foundation’s collections, revealing diverse photographic practices and underrepresented cultural histories. The materials represent a range of photography methods practiced in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria in various settings.
  Project Contact:

  Project website			Rachel Deblinger
  (Updated: Sep 18 2024)