Dr. Christopher Woods, Professor of Sumerian, has been appointed the thirteenth director of the Oriental Institute. He will begin his tenure as directoy on July 1, 2017, succeeding Dr. Gil Stein, Professor of Archaeology, who has served as Oriental Institute Director since 2002. Woods, who has degrees from Yale University and Harvard University, has published widely on Sumerian linguistics and culture, including his book on The Grammar of Perspective: The Sumerian Conjugation Prefixes as a System of Voice. He has also served as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Near Eastern Studies and administered the Oriental Institute's Post-Doctoral Scholars program.

Additional News Articles:

"Christopher Woods Appointed Director of the Oriental Institute," by Andrew Bauld, UChicago News, May 17, 2017

"Oriental Institute Appoints New Director," by Deepti Sailappan, The Chicago Maroon, May 19, 2017