Dr. Yosef Spiezer was awarded a Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship to conduct research on the rural landscape of Judea during the Hellenistic and Hasmonean periods, focusing on continuity and change in settlement, economy, and Jewish identity in the Land of Israel. During his Fulbright year, he will be based at Yeshiva University, with an additional affiliation at the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.

Yosef is an archaeologist, historian, licensed tour guide, and field educator from Jerusalem, where his family has lived for seven generations. His research focuses on ancient Judea and Jerusalem, especially during the Hellenistic, Hasmonean, Second Temple, Roman, and Byzantine periods. His work integrates archaeological surveys, excavation data, historical sources, and GIS-based spatial analysis to study rural settlement, ancient roads, agricultural landscapes, pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the Jerusalem Temple, material culture, and Jewish identity.

He completed his PhD in Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University. His dissertation examined the rural hinterland of Jerusalem during the Hasmonean, Roman, and Byzantine periods. Alongside his academic work, Yosef is active in public Jewish and Zionist education. He is the founder and educational director of Israel Mibifnim Educational Institute and Israel-2GO Heritage and Archaeology Tours, and previously served as a member of the Jerusalem City Council, including on the Education and Heritage Committees.