I am a conservator of archaeological materials, writer, researcher, and teacher dedicated to following the stories of the people of the past.

I serve as Director of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum Conservation Institute. Previously, I was Director of the Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum and Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University, where I remain an Associate Research Scholar.

I hold a PhD in Preservation Studies from the University of Delaware. My research explores the diverse identities of immigrants, migrants, women entrepreneurs, and enslaved peoples involved in pottery and painting in ancient Athens (6th–4th centuries BCE). My dissertation, which won the Wilbur Owen Sypherd Prize for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation in the Humanities, is a key part of this work.

I founded and directed Untold Stories, a non-profit focused on amplifying BIPOC voices in cultural heritage preservation. The organization concluded its work in March 2024 after successfully sparking critical conversations on these issues.

Among my honors are the American Institute for Conservation’s Rutherford John Gettens Award (2021), Supervisor of the Year at Johns Hopkins (2021), and the Bard Graduate Center’s Iris Outstanding Mid-Career Scholar award (2020). I have also held notable fellowships, including the James Marsden Fitch Residency at the American Academy in Rome (2023), Conservation Guest Scholar at the Getty Conservation Institute (2017), and a Fulbright Award to India (2009-2010).

Noteworthy projects include experimental archaeology with potter Matthew Hyleck, featured in the 2015 film Mysteries of the Kylix, and my ongoing research on the history of the Archaeological Museum at Johns Hopkins, part of the "Racism and Repair in the Academy" project.

I am passionate about sharing my work with diverse audiences, including through appearances on the Brains On! podcast (1 million monthly downloads) and an article in Scholastic Magazine (6 million readers) discussing the ethics of displaying mummified remains in museums.

I am currently exploring the idea of writing a memoir about how discovering my grandfather's involvement in conservation has shaped my views on the legacies of colonialism and racism in the field and contemporary preservation practices. This theme is explored in my articles, found here and here.

contact

sanchita@gmail.com