Prof. Dr. Peter Fornaro

Research associate (Digital Humanities Lab)

Office

Spalenberg 65
4051 Basel
Schweiz

Contact

peter.fornaro@unibas.ch

+41 61 207 04 87

Profile

Fornaro is Head Research Projects at the Digital Humanities Lab. With his scientific background in electrical engineering and physics, he worked, among others, for NASA. Thanks to his many years of experience in humanities research, Fornaro masters the conception and implementation of interdisciplinary research projects from scratch. As a trained scientific photographer, he experienced the change of the photographic image from the analogue to the digital domain in detail.

This vast range of experience not only allows him to develop new, innovative solutions but also allows him to conduct a profound transdisciplinary dialogue. With a doctorate in experimental physics, he was habilitated at the University of Basel's humanities faculty. 

In his research, Fornaro focuses on visual media and the linking of digital infrastructures with digital curation and collection management. This connection is key to making our cultural memory available for research and contributing to the successful digital transformation of our society, in which tradition and heritage go hand in hand with technology and innovation.

Fornaro is a member of the following organizations:
- Member of the International Council of Museums ICOM
- President of the e-codices Board of Trustees
- Vice-President of the Federal Commission for the Protection of Cultural Property, EKKGS
- President of the VSA's working group on the Digitisation of Archival Material
- Consultant on the Board of the Photoconsortium
- Member of the Graduate School Faculty of Eikones
- Member of the International Image Interoperability Framework, IIIF
- Member of the Association for Image Science & Technology IS&T
- Associate Member of the German Society for Photography

The scientist, who was trained in business administration and marketing, founded several start-ups, including TRUVIS AG.