Fan Zhang, Member in the School of Historical Studies (2025), discusses her research into art excavated from fifth-century tombs of migrant women in eastern Eurasia. She reveals how her own experience relocating to the United States inspired a deep, personal connection to these ancient cultural encounters.
Institute Instances is a collection of 1–2 minute video snapshots of scholars, administrators, and visitors to the Institute for Advanced Study answering a question (or two) about their work at IAS. Viewed individually, these clips allow audiences to get to know the people who are, in the words of founding IAS Director Abraham Flexner, "pushing beyond the present limits of human knowledge" through advancements in science and the humanities. Taken together, these "instances" of Institute life are designed to show how everyone can play a role in actualizing discovery, and to celebrate a community devoted to excellence in scholarship.