About

Director's Message


Decades of academic leadership at ¹ú²ú¶ÌÊÓƵin the field of 3D visualization have set the stage for the establishment of the Institute for Digital Exploration (IDEx), conceived as an intellectual and professional hub to generate impactful research in the field of digital cultural heritage and train future generations of digital humanists and social scientists. The interdisciplinary vocation of the Institute’s research agenda together with the technological assets in its lab work as major attractors for international students and scholars. The emphasis on the study of the Classical civilizations through the collections of American museums and of the cultural heritage of ancient Sicily and Malta aligns with the global education mission of USF.  
 
Since its inception, the Institute has worked closely with the local community, promoting public archaeology and history events and collaborating with the museums of the Tampa Bay Area, such as the Tampa Museum of Art, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota and the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, to bring digital global visibility to their remarkable collections. Building partnerships within the community and with scholars in the US and abroad, the Institute aims to strengthen USF’s research profile. 
 
The Institute offers semester-long internships experiences to undergraduate and graduate students, participation in 3D fieldwork in museums and cultural heritage institutions in Florida and other US states and archaeological sites and museums in Sicily and Malta, sponsors postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars, builds networks with the academic leaders in the field to target major grant opportunities and advance its research agenda. The Institute advances the broader mission of the University of South Florida by strengthening its position as a global research university in innovative fields.  
 

Davide Tanasi

Director, Institute for Digital Exploration
Professor of Digital Humanities
Department of History