About Us

Team Bios

Dr. Alexandra Ratzlaff

ratzlaff@brandeis.edu

781-736-2180

Mandel Center for the Humanities, 216

alexandraratzlaff.com


Expertise & Interests

Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, Digital Humanities, Maritime Trade in Late Antiquity, Ceramic Analysis, Archaeological Ethics and Theory, Roman Army, Mystery Cults.

Degrees

  • Boston University, Ph.D.

  • George Washington University, B.A.

Profile

Alexandra Ratzlaff is a Lecturer in the Department of Classical Studies at Brandeis University, specializing in classical and near eastern archaeology. As a field archaeologist her projects have been primarily in Israel, focused on the Late Roman Fort at Yotvata; the coastal and maritime presence along the Israeli coast at Tel Achziv, Tel Dor, and Caesarea; and the Middle Bronze Age Palace at Tel Kabri. Her current research exams the impact of maritime trade at small harbors on the Late Antique Economy of the central Levantine coast. This includes a previous coastal survey from Achziv to Ashkelon (modern Israeli coast). As an extension of this research she is currently publishing the ceramic remains from the Hellenistic harbor at Akko and Hellenistic/early Roman excavations at Achziv (Israel). A new survey and excavation project at Krokodeilon (Tel Tanninim) will examine the Hellenistic - Byzantine remains at the coastal site. Ratzlaff’s research has been funded by the US Department of State – Bureau Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Program, the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Science Foundation, the Albright Institute for Archaeological Research, and the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies.

Ian Roy

ianroy@brandeis.edu

781-736-4608

Director for Research Technology and Innovation @Brandeis Library

Founding Head of Brandeis MakerLab

Adjunct Professor @Brandeis International Business School

Lecturer in Anthropology @Brandeis

https://brandeis.academia.edu/IanRoy

https://www.brandeis.edu/facultyguide/person.html?emplid=e1b21496896ddff81d7249e1bc6d95387a2c72e5

https://www.instagram.com/ianisroy/

Expertise & Interests

Digital Fabrication, Rapid Prototyping, Research Technologies, Makerspaces, Hackathons, Social Enterprise, 3D Scanning, Drones

Degrees

  • Brandeis University, B.A. (class of 2005)

Profile

--- Role at Brandeis ---

Ian Roy is the Director for Research Technology and Innovation in Brandeis University's Library. He is also the Founding Head of the Brandeis MakerLab and an Adjunct Professor at the Brandeis International Business School - and a Lecturer in the Anthropology Department.

His group Research Technology and Innovation manages the 3 public Makerspaces in the Brandeis Library: The MakerLab, The Automation Lab, and the Digital Humanities Lab. His team works with researchers to overcome the technological hurdles they encounter in their workflows, top to bottom, and they constantly run local pilots in new technologies to address their needs. Their work touches on desktop/laptop/server break-fix, instrument machine support, digital forensics and security tools, institutional storage of Big Data, Cloud collaboration and backup in a Big Data context, and many of the new toolsets in the Maker community, including support of touch and gesture inputs, multiple displays, VR head mounted displays, Digital Fabrication (3D printing, Lasercutting, CNC), 3D scanning, robotics, drones, and embedded systems (Raspberry Pi, Arduino).

Ian and his team specialize in not only the technical aspects, but also the policy and political implications of implementing emerging technologies on campus. Ian was the project lead in developing both the Research Technology department and the MakerLab at Brandeis. He started at Brandeis in a staff role in 2012.

--- Background ---

Ian is descended from samurai and has studied Japanese sword for over 10 years. He is also a Brandeis alumnus, graduating in 2005 with dual majors in Philosophy and Economics and a concentration in Film Studies. From 2005 to 2010, he worked for a high end jeweler in downtown Los Angeles as the in-house photographer. He has a strong background in digital photography, digital fabrication, and new media marketing. He has also read and pitched around 1000 screenplays as a professional reader at a small boutique Los Angeles-based production company. He coached the Brandeis Ski Team for 2 seasons, a team on which he was a 2-year captain during his undergraduate career. He retired from Ski Coaching but still occasionally works for the USCSA McBrine Division as the ski league's Staff Photographer.

Tim Hebert

Embedded Systems and Robotics Specialist, Head of Brandeis Automation Lab

thebert@brandeis.edu

(781) 736-4603


Expertise & Interests

Robotics, Embedded systems, Software Engineering, CAD drawing, Digital Fabrication, Rapid Prototyping, Research Technologies, 3D Scanning, Drones

Degrees

  • Rochester Institute of Technology, B.S. (class of 2013)

Profile

Tim Hebert is an Embedded Systems and Robotics specialist at Brandeis University where he works to promote literacy of electronics, sensors, and robotics thought the Brandeis Library. He was a Founding member of the Brandeis MakerLab and is the Founding Head of the Automation Lab, one of the three public Makerspaces managed by the Research Technology and Innovation group. Prior to Brandeis, Tim received a B.S. from Rochester Institute of Technology for Computer Engineering Technology. He is also a nationally ranked FPV drone racing pilot who holds and active FAA section 107 sUAS remote pilot license.

Expertise & Interests

Mediterranean Archaeology, Ancient Harbors, Maritime Trade, Ceramic Analysis, Hellenistic and Roman Ceramics, Social Network Analysis, Digital Humanities.

Degrees

  • Brandeis University, M.A. (current)

  • University of Haifa, M.A.

  • Loyola University Chicago, B.A.

Profile

Nicole Constantine is a second year MA student in Brandeis’s Department of Classical Studies. She previously earned an MA in Maritime Civilizations from the University of Haifa in Israel. Her research focuses on maritime networks of exchange in the Hellenistic and early Roman periods. For her MA thesis from the University of Haifa, Nicole conducted original research on a large assemblage of ceramic tablewares from the Hellenistic Harbor at Akko. She has excavated at the terrestrial sites of Tel Dor, Tel Kabri and Sussita-Hippos and underwater in the Tel Dor Harbors and at Caesarea. With her work with the Techne Group, she hopes to make ancient material culture accessible to a wider audience through 3D scanning.



Hazal Uzunkaya

hazalu@brandeis.edu

Research Technology Specialist @Brandeis Library


Expertise & Interests

Extended Reality, Research Technologies, Digital Fabrication, Robotics, Future of Teaching and Learning, Accessibility

Degrees

  • Brandeis University, B.A. (class of 2014)

Profile

Hazal (H) Uzunkaya is a Research Technology Specialist at Brandeis University, specializing in Extended Reality. She is from Istanbul, Turkey and has worked as a translator for Asahi Shimbun in conflict areas in Turkey before finishing her Neuroscience degree. While H was a student worker at Brandeis University, she was an essential member of the team that founded the MakerLab. Today she is the Head of Brandeis MakerLab and oversees the day to day operations of the space, as well as starting and running the Maker in Residence and Community Maker micro grant programs.

Jalon Kimes

jkimes@brandeis.edu

Undergraduate Researcher - VR


Expertise & Interests

Jalon is a second year Undergraduate student at Brandeis studying Business and Computer Science. He has specialized in 3D modeling and texturing for 3 years. He has competed in multiple Georgia Future Business Leaders of America animation competitions and placed 2nd and 4th in the state. He has also done a digital restoration of a Japanese Bishimonten statue for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. With his work in the CLARC internship, he hopes to create a truly immersive virtual reality experience for the user.