is Professor emeritus of Indology and former Director of the Institute of Indology and Central Asian Studies at Leipzig University

Eli Franco was Professor of Indology and Director of the Institute of Indology and Central Asian Studies at Leipzig University from 2004 to 2021. He is also a member of the Sachsen Academy of Sciences. He is the Director of the long term research project “Buddhist Murals of Kucha on the Northern Silk Road” (2016–2030) and the PI of an FWF-funded project, “Religious Dimensions of Buddhist Logic and Epistemology” (2024–2027).