Dr Sayantani Neogi

Honorary Research Associate

What do you do?

I completed my PhD in Geoarchaeology at the University of Cambridge (2014) while working on Indus archaeological contexts. Following my PhD, I worked as a post-doctoral researcher at Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU). I had been a Training Manager and researcher for the EAMENA project between August 2017-2023. Currently, I am a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Fellow in Catalan Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICAC, Spain) working in Lebanon and Jordan and I continue to collaborate and work with Durham University and the EAMENA project.

How are you involved in this area of science? 

I was a Training Manager and researcher for the EAMENA project between August 2017-2023. I was involved in transferring remote sensing workflows and heritage documentation techniques to the heritage professionals in the MENA region. My research expertise and training and organisational skills helped to build partnerships with heritage agencies and professionals in the MENA region, particularly in Iraq, Lebanon, Kurdistan, Jordan and Palestine.

I organised several successful training programmes in Baghdad, Erbil, Beirut and Amman, through which I have also learnt a great deal about the archaeology, culture and heritage of these places and have developed strong collaboration with the heritage sectors of this region. 

What do you love about this topic?

Not only I have learnt a great deal about the archaeology, heritage and culture of the MENA region through my work and collaboration with the EAMENA project, I love the fact that it has enabled me to work directly on the ground with the people of the MENA region.  

How does this work deliver real-world impact?

EAMENA has the incredible tool (i.e., the EAMENA database) which can be used by the heritage agencies of the MENA region to record and document their archaeological and heritage sites. It can be open access and yet be customised as per the requirements of the national agencies of these countries. Training the professionals in EAMENA database along with open source programmes (such as QGIS) can be truly impactful as these can be used by these people once they have the skills.