ESC elections 2026

Since taking on the Bursary & Student / Low-Income Officer role four years ago—first ad interim and then as an elected member of the ESC—I have had the privilege of serving our vibrant and creative CAA community. During the post-COVID surge, we witnessed record numbers of bursary applications. Together with our former Chair Lisa Fischer and the ESC, we streamlined and standardised the bursary process to encourage access for members from economically less privileged countries and backgrounds, to ensure fair assessment of every application, and to enable as many members as possible to attend the conference. With the process now in good shape to hand over to my successor, I am seeking new challenges within our organisation and wish to apply for the Secretary position.

Beyond the bursary role, I have volunteered in steering committees of several national and local archaeological associations—currently serving as Secretary/Actuary of our Swiss chapter. Through this
voluntary work and my professional background in academia and in heritage management, I am used to
working and communicating in an orderly, transparent, and timely manner. Together with our new Chair Josh Emmitt and the ESC, my main goal is to foster our diverse international community and maintain CAA as an inclusive institution, open to all backgrounds; I am convinced that our greatest strength comes from our diversity.

With digital archaeology at the heart of my academic interests—and being aware of the important discussions ahead on the conference’s future format and the organisation’s financial structure—I am eager to serve as Secretary for the benefit of our community, to play an active part in strategic directions, and thus to contribute to CAA’s overall success.

Since my master’s studies in 2010, I have been aware of the Computer Applications and
Quantitative Methods in Archaeology conference (CAA), but it was only in 2014, at the Paris
conference, that I was able to experience this community firsthand. Since then, being part of
the CAA has had a profound and positive influence on my career. Beyond the annual
conference, I have greatly valued the continuity of interaction through the different national
chapters, which play a vital role in ensuring that CAA remains a vibrant and supportive
community. I see CAA as much more than a professional association. It is a network built on
collaboration rather than competition, where members find encouragement and shared purpose.
This atmosphere of support, rather than criticism, is something I deeply appreciate and wish to
contribute to. Maintaining such an environment is essential to sustaining CAA’s vital role as a
strong global and diverse community. I believe that my international profile and experiences
will be an asset in contributing to this vision in unique and different ways.

Taking on the role of Membership Secretary would allow me to contribute to the organisation’s
goals in a more central capacity. I am confident in my ability to fulfil the responsibilities of the
position: from working on newsletters, communications with members, finding creative ways
to engage members, helping members expand their networks within the conference,
contributing to the ongoing and future ESC projects, collaborating with the Conference Officer,
to updates during the AGM. I am particularly keen on how this role can contribute to members’
networks and experiences between conferences, particularly students and early career
researchers, as well as how we can attract members from underrepresented regions. I am a
highly organised person, I thrive when I work in motivated teams, and I understand the
importance of this role for the smooth functioning of the organisation.

I serve as Ethics Officer and as Chair of the CAA LAC chapter. However, I am ready to
contribute to and gain experience in a bigger leadership role at the international level.
Therefore, should I get this position, I am willing to step down from the Ethics Committee,
knowing it is already in the hands of highly motivated colleagues.

I am interested in running for the role of Membership Secretary on the Executive Steering Committee for the Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology. I am an organized and dependable individual who recognizes the importance of attention to detail and timely communication in membership administration. I further value inclusive and proactive protocol for meeting larger goals of the organizations vision for a more equitable and sustainable future. My experience chairing conferences on the local as well as national scale has allowed me to gain experience in working together with a team to ensure the needs of our members and organization are met. I furthermore have experience with administrative and executive positions within numerous organizations in Canada and appreciate the opportunity to expand my expertise to aid CAA. I will ensure membership receives timely and efficient communication, manage and maintain all databases, as well as gather and share relevant information pertaining to all past and current conferences.

I am interested in this position as I have had many positive experiences with CAA International for networking, collaborations, and continued learning in a welcoming and supportive environment. I would like the opportunity to pay forward my experience to aid the organization in its continued successes. I have been actively involved in the CAA International conference since 2019 when I commenced my doctoral program and was accepted to present in Oxford and have continued to be involved throughout the pivot to online (Cyprus 2021) for my first international conference presentation. I have enjoyed thoroughly the return to meeting in-person and participated actively in the conferences hosted in Amsterdam (2023), Auckland (2024), and Athens (2025). I hope to be able to continue participating actively in CAA International through serving in this role. Thank you.

My name is Martin Hinz, and I am writing to express my candidacy for the position of Membership
Secretary. I am a prehistoric archaeologist with a strong focus on computational
modelling, quantitative methods, and interdisciplinary research. I have been part of the CAA
community for nearly two decades, with my first conference attendance in Berlin in 2007, and
since then CAA has been central to my academic development and international
collaborations.

In my own work, I lead projects that connect archaeology with environmental sciences and
digital humanities, most recently focusing on modelling long-term population dynamics and
building infrastructures for open and reproducible research. Beyond the conference, I am
actively engaged in the CAA network, serving on the boards of the Special Interest Group
Scientific Scripting Languages in Archaeology (SSLA) and the Swiss national chapter. This has
given me a close view of the diverse needs of our members and the importance of strong
structures that connect local, thematic, and international levels.

For CAA, membership is more than a prerequisite for attending the annual conference: it is
what links individuals across disciplines, institutions, and generations into a shared community.
In this role, I would like to strengthen that sense of connection in three ways. First, by making
membership more tangibly useful throughout the year—facilitating concise exchanges among
members, such as calls, training opportunities, and updates from Chapters and SIGs. Second,
by carrying the energy of the annual conference into the rest of the year, offering clear followups
on AGM outcomes and upcoming opportunities so that members remain engaged and
informed. And third, by emphasising that membership is also participation—by making the
ways in which members can contribute to CAA’s governance and activities more visible and
accessible.

Attending my first CAA UK chapter conference in 2016, I was struck by the welcoming and
engaging environment and knew immediately this was a community I wanted to be a part of.
Since then, I have experienced firsthand how transformative CAA can be for students and earlycareer scholars, and it has played a pivotal role in my academic and personal journey.

As a PhD candidate, I have greatly benefited from CAA’s bursary system. I know from
experience how financial support can determine whether one attends a conference or misses out
on the chance to present research, meet peers, and grow professionally. I can attest that bursaries
create lasting impact, helping scholars to be included and feel valued. This motivates me to
maintain a bursary process that is transparent, fair, and accessible.

I also bring practical experience in managing and distributing funds. I have co-organized
university conferences where I coordinated with attendees, supported student involvement, and
aided in finding affordable accommodation for visitors. I raised money, managed budgets, and
distributed payments for the events. Through these experiences, along with my familiarity with
CAA operations, I feel well prepared to advocate for students and low-income individuals in
accessing an international conference. I have developed the organizational and financial
management skills necessary to coordinate bursary distribution, oversee the Nick Ryan bursary
process, and work with local organizers to reduce barriers to participation.

I am inspired by CAA’s commitment to dedicating significant resources to supporting its
members. I want to build on this tradition by offering both careful stewardship of bursary
processes and new ideas for expanding accessibility and representation. I am thrilled at the
potential of joining the Executive Steering Committee and helping to ensure that members
continue to find a welcoming and supportive place within CAA.