【46th Talk】Dr. Chai Yee Leow: “Journey into Gandhara: Archaeological Discoveries and Digital Explorations of Buddhist Heritage”
The 46th session of the Tan Lark Sye Lecture Series, hosted by New Era University College’s Institute of International Education and the Tan Lark Sye Institute, took place on 10th December 2025. Guest speaker Dr. Chai Yee Leow from Harvard University’s FAS CAMLab, brought fresh insights with her talk titled “Journey into Gandhara: Archaeological Discoveries and Digital Explorations of Buddhist Heritage.” Dr. Chai Yee Leow highlighted the strategic role of technology in safeguarding and sharing cultural relics and offered fresh perspectives on the enduring value of Buddhist art in both historical and modern times.
Dr. Chai Yee Leow is a Malaysian scholar and currently a Postdoctoral Fellow at the CAMLab of Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She graduated from the Department of Telecommunications Engineering at the University of Malaya, pursued a Master’s degree in Buddhist Studies at the University of Hong Kong, and in 2020 received her Ph.D. in History from Peking University with a focus on Buddhist archaeology. As a principal researcher of Harvard FAS CAMLab’s “Digital Gandhara” project and the fieldwork team leader in Pakistan, Dr. Chai Yee Leow has spearheaded collaborations with multiple institutions, including the Peshawar Museum, to advance the digitization of cultural relics. Her research encompasses early Buddhist art and archaeology across India, China, and Central Asia, as well as the study of related key texts and materials. Centred on the dialogue between history and the present, and between the tangible and the digital, her work seeks to re-examine this ancient land that nurtured Buddhist art and witnessed cross-cultural exchange.
During the session, Dr. Chai Yee Leow shared the practical applications of technology in cultural relic preservation, 3D scanning, virtual exhibition, and digital management. She explored the critical significance of digitization in the protection and dissemination of cultural heritage today, and how digital technologies open new possibilities for safeguarding and sharing cultural treasures. She remarked that through these digital tools, ancient artifacts are no longer confined to quietly resting in museums but can be revitalized with new life in the digital realm.
Following the lecture, the audience and the moderator engaged in a lively and in-depth exchange with the speaker during the Q&A session. Discussions spanned a wide range of topics, including Buddhist archaeological research, the application of digital technologies, and future directions in cultural heritage preservation. The speaker addressed each question thoughtfully and with great patience. The lecture was moderated by Dr. Lam Chui Peng, an adjunct senior lecturer at New Era University College, and drew an audience of over 200 participants.
