Alain Schnapp is Professor Emeritus of Classical Archaeology at Université Paris 1 (Panthéon-Sorbonne). His main research interests are Greek iconography and cultural history of Antiquity, and he is recognised among peers as one of the leading experts in his field. Alain Schnapp has been visiting professor at a number of institutions, including Princeton University and Stanford University.

His many publications include:

• Schnapp, A. & Vidal-Naquet, P. (1971). The French Student Uprising, November 1967 – June 1968: An Analytical Record. Boston: Beacon Press.
• Schnapp, A. (1996). The Discovery of the Past: The Origins of Archaeology. London: British Museum
• Schnapp, A. (1997). Le Chasseur et la Cité: Chasse et Érotique dans la Grèce Ancienne, Paris: Albin Michel.
• Schnapp, A., L. von Falkenhausen, P. Miller & T. Murray (eds.) (2003). World Antiquarianism: Comparative Perspectives. Los Angeles: Getty Research Institute.
• Schnapp, A. (2014). Was ist eine Ruine? Entwurf einer vergleichenden Perspektive. Göttingen: Wallstein.

During his stay (April-June 2016), Alain Schnapp will give a lecture series entitled Ruins and their significance for urban history:

1. The Egyptian and Mesopotamian approach
2. The ancient Chinese vision of city ruins 
3. The Greco-Roman way of considering city remains
4. The medieval East and West: Clash between pagan, Christian and Islamic memory
5. The Renaissance confrontation with cities' pasts
6. The Enlightenment and the foundation of the modern vision of cities’ pasts