Donald H. Sanders

I was trained and educated as an architect, architectural historian, and archaeologist. Over my career I have helped pioneer the discipline of virtual heritage in the early 1990s and continue to innovate in the field. My special interest is the application of nontraditional methods (including advanced computer graphics, virtual reality, and behavioral science techniques) to the study and visualization of the past, pushing the boundaries of conventional archaeological interpretation. My professional publications and conference papers have covered such topics as alternative approaches (including those from semiotics, environment-behavior studies, ethnoarchaeology, and human geography) to the study of architecture in archaeological contexts; and the use of interactive computer graphics for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of information about ancient material culture for research, education, publication, broadcast, and museum display. I founded Learning Sites Inc., in 1996, and the Institute for the Visualization of History Inc., in 2001, to actualize these innovations. I have been an invited keynote speaker at venues around the world; and publications by me or about my companies have appeared in journals, newspapers, books, and magazines in nearly a dozen countries. I am the Tartessos Prize winner in virtual heritage for 2015 and Corporate Vision Executive Award winner for 2016.