Australian Archaeological Institute at Athens

Director | Professor Tamar Hodos
Tamar took up the position of Director in August 2023. She is a world expert on the interactions the ancient Greeks had with the cultures they came into contact around the Mediterranean during the Iron Age (c.1100-600 BCE). She holds degrees from Bryn Mawr College (BA), University College London (MA), and Oxford University (DPhil). She has over thirty years of fieldwork experience honed around the eastern Mediterranean and has overseen a variety of lab-based analytical studies to better understand the lived experiences of past peoples. Tamar leads on the strategic development of the AAIA. She is committed to expanding research and learning opportunities for students, early career researchers and established colleagues, and sharing the latest findings on the Hellenic world’s rich and diverse past with the wider public.

Deputy Director | Dr Stavros Paspalas
Stavros has been as our Deputy Director since 1996, and he served as Acting Director between 2016 and 2023. He holds BA and MA degrees from the University of Sydney and a DPhil from Oxford University. His research interests include the Greek world’s links with Lydia and the Achaemenid Empire, the archaeology of the northern Aegean during the Archaic and Classical periods, and the Early Iron Age Aegean. An extremely experienced field archaeologist, he currently co-directs the Zagora Archaeological Project (with Associate Professor Lesley Beaumont and Dr Paul Donnelly, both University of Sydney) and the Australian Paliochora Kythera Archaeological Survey with Dr Lita Tzortzopoulou-Gregory. Stavros oversees the AAIA’s educational, academic and public engagement programmes in Greece and the annual Gale Visiting Professorship schedule in Australia. He also coordinates our annual Bulletin.

Executive Officer & Archaeological Research Facilitator | Dr Lita Tzortzopoulou-Gregory
Lita has been with the AAIA since 2014. She holds degrees in Anthropology and Archaeology from the University of Sydney (BA and MPhil) and La Trobe University (PhD). She is an active field archaeologist and researcher, and she has worked extensively in Greece, Cyprus, and Jordan. At the AAIA, Lita manages the Athens office and coordinates all fieldwork and museum study permits for Australian and New Zealand researchers and students. She also facilitates our collaborations with Greek-based institutions. In addition, she leads on the administrative arrangements for our educational and public engagement activities in Athens, and she manages our Hostel.

Administrative Assistant | Ms Panagiota Korompli
Panagiota has been a part of the AAIA since 2019. She holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in English and Philosophy, and Human Resources Management, and she has previously worked with organisations affiliated with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture in the undertaking of research and dissemination of ancient and modern Greek history and culture. She has also worked as a translator.  At the AAIA, she supports Lita in managing the Athens side of our operations, including correspondence, finances, and the delivery of our educational and public engagement activities in Athens.

Administration Officer | Mr Brett Myers
Brett has worked at the AAIA since 2000. He holds BA and MA degrees in Archaeology from the University of Sydney as well as postgraduate degrees in Museum and Heritage Studies. He is an experienced field archaeologist with a particular interest in pre-Roman South Italy. Brett is the administrative lynchpin for the AAIA’s national network of Friends groups, and he coordinates our Australia-based activities.