To celebrate our 2026 Research Grant recipients , we connected with this year’s awardees to learn more about their projects and the unique paths that led them into the field of archaeology. We’re thrilled to introduce Catherine Scott, one of two recipients of the prestigious 2026 Richard C. MacDonald Iliad Endowment for Archaeological Research Grant ! Catherine Scott (Koç University Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations) Tell us about your project: In this project, we aim to use experimental archaeology to study how people built and used fire installations such as hearths, ovens, and kilns in Bronze Age western Anatolia. Fire was a vital part of ancient life and therefore of great interest to archaeologists, but many questions remain about the technical capabilities of fire installations from this region for common practices like cooking, baking, and ceramic production.…