Dr Georgios Papaioannou is a Professor in Museology and Digital Cultural Heritage, and Director of the Museology Lab, at the Ionian University, Corfu, Greece, Faculty of Information Science and Informatics, Department of Archives, Library Sciences and Museology. Prof Papaioannou has a strong background in classics, archaeology, cultural heritage, and Information Technology from his studies in Greece, the U.K. (UCL and King's College London), and Spain, and his training in the USA (Harvard, Columbia) and the U.K. (UCL, CILIP). With a strong background in educational theory and practice, he also specializes in Higher Education programs and curriculum design for humanities and museum studies to address diverse groups of students by employing digital technologies and current educational advancements.
His research interests lie in the applications of new technologies for cultural heritage and GLAM institutions. He works on museum studies and digital technologies for archaeology and education, including digitization, data management and documentation (CIDOC-CRM), virtual reality, augmented reality, and mobile applications. He has focused lately on Big Data for museums and cultural heritage, and he introduced the International Conferences on Museum Big Data (MBD2019 in Doha, Qatar; MBD2020 in Nicosia, Cyprus). He has directed and participated in numerous internationally-funded (of budgets exceeding € 3 million) research work and projects of cultural/museum works in the Mediterranean and the Arab world (Greece, Cyprus, Syria, Jordan, Oman, Qatar), where he has founded and organized museums and exhibitions, including the Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth in the Dead Sea, Jordan. He has also worked towards cultural heritage management and educational programs for museums and the cultural sector. He has received awards for his research, teaching, and administrative work.
Dr Papaioannou has taught at universities in Greece, UK, USA, Australia, France, Cyprus, Jordan and Qatar, including teaching masterclasses and seminars in open and distance education settings via new technologies. He has authored books, papers and conference presentations, including textbooks and alternative teaching materials in the methodology of open and distance learning. He is a Senior Fellow and Assessor of the Higher Education Academy (UK), the Secretary General of the Hellenic Studies Society of Near East (HSNES), a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), and a member of the Pool of Experts of the European Museum Academy.