About IIHSA

IIHSA DIRECTOR

Dr Joanne Murphy

Joanne M. A. Murphy is a Bronze Age archaeologist whose work focuses on two main areas: ritual and mortuary practices and theory and methods. Her work on rituals and and mortuary practices explore how these practices help us understand the related society. Her work on theory and methods focuses on examining the value of survey as a primary archaeological method. After receiving her BA and MA from UCD, she earned her PhD at the University of Cincinnati in Classical Archaeology. As an MA student she taught tutorial in Greek and Roman Civilization at UCD and since receiving her Phd she has worked at the University of Akron and the University of North Carolina Greensboro, where she is currently a professor of Classical Studies. In her position as IIHSA Director she oversees the activities of the Institute, and the running of the Athens office in collaboration with the Assistant Director. She is also a member of the board’s fieldwork sub-committee. She is director of the Kea Archaeological Research Survey (KARS) a multi-period and multi-disciplinary archaeological project (2012- ), on the Cycladic island of Kea.

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

Dr Evgenia Tsafou

Evgenia (Jenny) Tsafou holds a BA in 'History and Archaeology', an MA in 'Prehistoric Archaeology', both from the University of Thessaloniki, and a PhD (2023) from the Université Catholique de Louvain where her thesis focused on cooking vessels in the Minoan cooking pottery of the Middle and Late Bronze Age. She has been a Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and at the Malcolm H. Wiener Laboratory for Archaeological Science at the ASCSA and an Early Career Fellow at the Centre of Hellenic Studies of Harvard University. She has published several scientific papers and has received several awards for her research (Andrew Sherratt Fund 2021 from the University of Sheffield, Best Thesis Award in 2024 from the Journal of Mediterranean Archaeology and Archaeometry). She has worked as an archaeologist and pottery specialist on several archaeological projects in Macedonia and Crete and as a storeroom manager and curator of antiquities at the Sissi Archaeological Programme. In her position as IIHSA Assistant Director, appointed in 2025, she manages the Athens office in collaboration with the Director.

Managing Committee

  • Professor Christine Morris

    Chair | TCD Rep

  • Dr Will Megarry

    Minutes Secretary | Queen’s Belfast Rep

  • Caolán Mac An Aircinn

    Treasurer

  • Dr Jo Day

    UCD Classics Rep

  • Suzanne Lynch

    Student representative (UCD)

  • Dr Eoghan Moloney

    Maynooth University Rep

  • Dr Barry Molloy

    UCD Archaeology Rep

  • Dr Padraig Moran

    NUI Galway Rep

  • Jason O'Brien

    Fundraising

  • Mnemosyne Rice

    Student Representative (TCD)

  • Professor Andrew Smith

    Company Secretary

  • Paddy Sammon

    Irish-Hellenic Society

  • Dr Alan Peatfield

  • Dr Christina Souyoudzoglou-Haywood

 Patrons

Featured
Professor George Huxley

George Huxley is a philologist of international reputation. He has taught Classics in Queen's University Belfast and Trinity College Dublin. He is currently Adjunct Professor at the Department of Ancient Classics, Maynooth University. He had envisaged the creation of an Irish Institute before its foundation and has remained a firm supporter since.

Anna Mallikourtis

Anna Mallikourtis is Honorary Secretary of the Friends of the Acropolis Museum, Athens. Her connection with the IIHSA started when she and her husband, the late Ambassador to Ireland, Stelios Mallikourtis, lived in Dublin.

Robert McCabe

Robert McCabe is a renowned photographer. He exhibits internationally and is the author of several books. He has supported the IIHSA from its foundation.