Tamás Hajdu is an associate professor, and the head of the Department of Biological Anthropology at the Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. His main expertise is in biological anthropology, human population history and palaeopathology. His main research interests are the follows: population history of the Carpathian Basin in the prehistory (mainly in Bronze and Iron Age), evolution of infectious diseases and palaeo-oncology.

Tamás Szeniczey is a physical anthropologist and an assistant professor at the Eötvös Loránd University, Department of Biological Anthropology. His main research field focuses on the population history of the Carpathian Basin. He specializes in bioarchaeological and paleopathological studies, exploring the biological aspects of populations from various archaeological periods. A significant part of his work involves reconstructing the population history of the Avar period in the region. To achieve this, he applies biodistance analysis and statistical models, providing insights into the biological and cultural connections of past communities.

Palaeoanthropologist, Harry Widianto is currently research professor at the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia. Since his PhD in France (1993), he has been successively Director of Archaeological Research Center of Banjarmasin (Borneo, 1994-1998), then the same center in Yogyakarta (Java, 1998-2008), before becoming the first Director of the Sangiran World Heritage Conservation office (2009-2013). He was subsequently Director of Cultural Properties and Museums at the Ministry for Education and Culture (2013-2018), a period which witnessed the building and opening of numerous prehistoric museums in Indonesia.

He acted as PI in many field research projects in Indonesia, including the BPS2021 (Bumiayu – Prupuk Semedo) National Geographic one, carried out with an international partnership. He is author and co-author more than 144 publications, among others are 30 peer reviewed journals and 65 books. He regularly teaches in Indonesian universities and abroad, and supervised or co-supervised numerous Master and PhD theses, notably in the framework of European-Asian academic networks, including international intensive programs.

Harry Widianto actively contributed to the inscription of the Sangiran site on the World Heritage list in 1996, and coordinated or co-coordinated several international projects, e.g. PREHsea (Managing Prehistoric Heritage in Southeast Asia, involving Europe, Indonesia and Philippines). More recently, he designed then launched the UNESCO Category II Centre CHEADSEA (Center for Human Evolution, Adaptations and Dispersals in Southeast Asia).

Dr. Sofwan Noerwidi works at BRIN as the head of the archaeometry research centre. He completed his bachelor's degree in Archaeology at Gadjah Mada University in 2003. He then continued his studies at the MNHN in France in 2012 and finally completed his doctorate at the MNHN-Sorbonne Paris, France and URV Tarragona Spain in 2020. He has conducted research at several sites in Java, namely Sangiran (since 2013), Patiayam (2006-2016), Semedo (since 2012), and Bumiayu (since 2014), as well as prehistoric research in the Southern Mountains, East Java, joint Indonesia-France research since 2007, prehistoric research in Harimau Cave, South Sumatra, and joint Indonesia-Japan research since 2012. Has attended international conferences including: Siem Reap (2014), Hue (2018), EurASEAA Dublin (2012), Paris (2015), ISDM-IAPO Bordeaux (2017) and UISPP Paris (2018). 

Dr. Agni Mochtar is a researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) in Indonesia. Her primary research interests are maritime archaeology, particularly shipbuilding, seafaring, and maritime cultural landscapes, as well as ship iconography and nautical ethnography.

She specialises in vernacular Southeast Asian lashed-lug shipbuilding, a tradition that has been practised since the 5th century BCE and continues today. Her current projects include the excavation of the 12th-century Southeast Asian wooden shipwreck, located in the intertidal zone of Lagoi Beach, Bintan Island.

Dr. Ery Soedewo, S.S., M.Hum., completed his undergraduate studies in Archaeology at Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta (1999) and his master's degree in Linguistics at the University of North Sumatra, Medan (2007). He currently works as a researcher at the Medan Archaeological Center, where he is heavily involved in archaeological research in the Sumatra region, particularly North Sumatra. 

Some of his works include “A Study of the Separation of the Gayo and Karo Ethnic Groups Based on Oral Tradition, Linguistics, and Archaeology” in Aceh in Historical and Archaeological Perspective (2015), “Traces of Buddhism in Buluh Cina, North Sumatra” in Sumatra: A Crossroads of Cultures: The Confrontation of Historical, Archaeological, and Anthropological Values and Efforts to Preserve Cultural Heritage (2017), “Archaeological Remains Displaying Indian Cultural Influence in the Region of Batang Gadis and Batang Angkola Rivers, Mandailing Natal Regency, North Sumatra” in History of Padang Lawas II Societies of Padang Lawas (mid-9th – 13th CE) (2014), and many more.

Dr. Krisztina Hoppál is an archaeologist and leader of the ELTE Roman World and the Far East Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University. Her main research interests are Sino-Roman relations, intercultural exchange in Antiquity, inter-imperial connections, long-distance trade, and archaeology of Southeast Asia and China.

Dr. Bérénice Bellina specialist in South and Southeast Asian archaeology, Dr. Bérénice Bellina brings over 30 years of field experience to her work. She is Research Director at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the head of the ‘Technology and Ethnology of Prehistoric Worlds’ Department (UMR8068, Université Paris I Panthéon Sorbonne, Université Paris Nanterre, CNRS, France).

Her research explores the processes of exchange and cultural transfer along the Maritime Silk Road, the anthropology of techniques, community engagement in heritage projects, and Indigenous archaeology across Asia. She advocates decolonised and inclusive approaches to archaeological practice.

Dr. Nguyen Huu Manh is a lecturer at the Faculty of History, VNU University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Hanoi, Vietnam. He earned his Ph.D. from Kanazawa University, Japan. His research primarily focuses on early pottery centers in Vietnam, human settlement processes, and the transition from natural resource exploitation to agriculture in Vietnamese coastal and island regions. 

Dr. Aude Favereau is an archaeologist specializing in Southeast Asian ceramics, with particular expertise in the chaîne opératoire approach. While earthenware studies lie at the core of her research, her broader work addresses questions of technological and stylistic transfers, mobility, exchange networks, and the cultural and economic dynamics of past societies across the South China Sea.

Harry Octavianus Sofian, S.S., M.Sc is a Indonesian archaeologist and researcher currently serving at the Research Center for Archaeometry within the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). He is widely recognized for his expertise in archaeometallurgy, focusing on the production, distribution, and consumption of ancient metals and glass beads across Southeast Asia.

As of early 2026, he remains an active member of the Center for Prehistory and Austronesian Studies (CPAS) and the Sigarda Indonesia Raya Foundation. His recent publications include studies on metal compositions in Kota Cina (Strait of Malacca) and ongoing research into ancient smelting technologies. 

Dr. Shinatria Adhityatama is a prominent Indonesian maritime and underwater archaeologist currently serving as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Research Centre for Environmental Archaeology, Maritime, and Sustainable Culture within the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN).

Adhityatama is a prolific researcher with over 1,000 citations on Google Scholar. Recently, he has been involved in high-profile publications in journals like Nature, focusing on topics such as Early Pleistocene hominins in Sulawesi and the oldest rock art in the region. He is associated with the ASEAN Underwater/Maritime Archaeology Association, aiming to empower the region through collaborative maritime research. 

Dr. Laure Dussubieux is a chemist specializing in the compositional determination of ancient artifacts made from glass, ceramic, metal, and stone. She obtained her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Orléans (France) in 2001. 

From 2002 to 2004, she was a postdoctoral fellow at the Museum Conservation Institute of the Smithsonian Institution. Since 2004, she has managed the Elemental Analysis Facility (EAF) at the Field Museum in Chicago. She currently serves as the Director of the EAF and is a Senior Research Scientist at the Field Museum. Her research focuses on glass and the circulation of glass beads across the Indian Ocean.

Dr. Moh Mualliful Ilmi is a researcher at the Research Centre for Archaeometry, National Research and Innovation Agency of Indonesia (BRIN), specializing in the physicochemical analysis of archaeological materials. His research focuses on the characterization of pigments in rock art, pottery decoration, painted inscriptions, and ochres to reconstruct the technological choices of ancient societies and understand material degradation processes. He holds both a master’s and a doctoral degree in Chemistry from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), where he specialized in the chemical analysis of ancient rock art pigments. In addition to pigments, he investigates the material composition of pottery, glass beads, and other artifacts to better understand their provenance, production techniques, and cultural significance.

His work employs a rigorous multi-analytical framework, integrating optical microscopy, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). He possesses specialized expertise in the utilization of high-resolution structural and elemental analysis, utilizing synchrotron radiation for X-ray Diffraction (HR-XRPD and  µ-XRD), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), and laboratory-based XRD, alongside Raman and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Through these advanced methodologies, He aims to enhance the scientific understanding of the composition, degradation, and preservation of cultural heritage materials.

Dr. Péter Kovács is the head of the Department of Archaeology at the Damjanich János Museum. He has supervised more than fifty archaeological excavations. Since 2015, his research has concentrated on the methodological framework of metal detector survey in archaeology and on establishing professional cooperation between archaeologists and licensed civilian detectorists. His main field of expertise is the Iron Age archaeology of the Middle Tisza Region and the Great Hungarian Plain, with particular emphasis on settlement networks and interregional connections.

Dr. Nahar Cahyandaru, M.Si  is a senior researcher and conservator with extensive experience working and conducting research at the Borobudur Conservation Center. Throughout his career, he has specialized in the conservation of natural stone materials, particularly andesite used in temple structures, as well as the preservation of wood and metal cultural heritage materials.

He is also known for developing innovative conservation approaches that utilize natural, environmentally friendly, and chemical-free materials. His research expertise extends to chemical analysis, nanoparticle synthesis, and advanced material characterization techniques.

Currently, he serves as the Head of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Center for the West Papua Region (BPK XXII), where he continues to contribute to the preservation and protection of cultural heritage through scientific and sustainable conservation methods.

Dr. Alexandra Anders is a qualified (habil.) associate professor at the Faculty of Humanities of Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest (Hungary). She is the head of the Department of Archaeometry, Archaeological Heritage and Methodology, Institute of Archaeological Sciences.

Her main research field is the Neolithic of the Carpathian Basin, with a particular focus on the archaeology of death and gender archaeology. She has directed or participated in numerous excavations in the Polgár area of northeastern Hungary. Her current research interests include the biosocial archaeological study and assessment of Neolithic burials uncovered in this eastern Hungarian micro-region, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the life of the communities that settled there.

Another main area of her interest is the interpretation of archaeological heritage, particularly how research results can be effectively communicated to a wider audience. She is also responsible for teaching courses in museum studies and archaeological heritage at the institute.

Dr. Marie Grace Pamela G. Faylona is a prominent Filipino archaeologist and academic researcher specializing in environmental archaeology, archaeomalacology (the study of mollusks in archaeological contexts), and the prehistory of Southeast Asia. She holds a PhD and focuses her research on foraging ecology, rock art, and heritage within the Southeast Asian and Pacific regions. She is also active in interdisciplinary collaborations, such as bridging chemistry with social sciences to better understand Philippine cultural heritage 

Dr. Szabolcs Felföldi is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Archaeology University of Szeged, Hungary and the editor-in-chief of the archaeological magazine Archaeology without boundaries (Publisher: Móra Ferenc Museum Szeged, Hungary). 

His main areas of research are the history of excavations and other field research of the Hungarian archaeologists and orientalists in the area of the ancient Silk Road, and the some aspects of the history and archaeology of the nomadic Huns and Avars.