Dr. Anca Claudia Prodan
IHS Co-Direktorin
Anca Claudia Prodan
Anca Claudia Prodan has supported the Institute Heritage Studies in various capacities since its establishment, serving as its co director since February 2026; she is assistant professor and senior lecturer at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg. She is a scholar of heritage studies with academic roots in philosophy and anthropology, and her work advances relational approaches to heritage. In research, she is recognised for pioneering academic engagement with UNESCO’s Memory of the World Programme. Her doctoral dissertation (2014) opened the field, followed by a co edited reference volume (2020) and the establishment of the Documentary Heritage Network within the Association of Critical Heritage Studies (2026). Her policy experience includes preparing the discussion paper for UNESCO’s 2015 Recommendation on Documentary Heritage, serving as expert and rapporteur in international meetings, and contributing to the MoW Sub Committee on Education and Research. She collaborates with the International Centre for Documentary Heritage and serves on editorial boards, including the International Journal of Documentary Heritage and the Springer Heritage Studies Series, where she has also served as acting series co editor. In university education, she has contributed to curriculum development for the World Heritage Studies master’s programme and the PhD in Heritage Studies, and she helped design the curriculum of the Cultural Heritage Governance and Communication master’s programme at the Latvian Academy of Culture, as a guest professor.
Claudia Grünberg
IHS Co-Direktorin
Claudia Grünberg
Claudia Grünberg has been working at the Institute Heritage Studies (IHS) since 2017 and has played a key role in shaping the institute’s development as a research associate and deputy director. Since February 2026, she serves as Co-Director of the institute.
She studied Cultural Studies at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder) and completed the Master’s programme in World Heritage Studies at the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus–Senftenberg. In her academic and practice-oriented work, she focuses on education, interpretation, and sustainable development in the context of UNESCO World Heritage and heritage sites. She develops educational strategies, projects, teaching materials, and training programmes for diverse target groups and collaborates with numerous heritage institutions and World Heritage sites across Germany and Europe. A particular focus of her work lies in exploring how young people can engage critically and actively with heritage and be empowered to participate in its preservation and future development.
Alongside her work at IHS, she works as a freelance consultant in the fields of nomination, management, and interpretation of UNESCO-designated sites. She is a member of the International Association of Critical Heritage Studies, Interpret Europe, and the Berlin Committee for UNESCO Work.