Art Historian, Heritage Protection and Education Expert

Alesia Koush, an expert in heritage protection and cultural values education, is currently a PhD Researcher at the University of Reading, UK, working on the theme “Human rights implications of the illicit trafficking in archaeological heritage: the case study of Iraq” under the supervision of Professor Roger Matthews (President of RASHID International) and externally Tess Davis, J.D. (Executive Director of Antiquities Coalition).
Additionally, Alesia is active as a Researcher with RASHID International (Research, Assessment and Safeguarding of the Heritage of Iraq in Danger).
Alesia is based in Florence, Italy, where she collaborates with the CAMNES Centre for Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, who grant partial sponsorship towards her PhD research.
In Italy, Alesia teaches at Master’s programs at the Palazzo Spinelli Institute of Art and Restoration, and is a Tutor of the international campus “Preserving Cultural Heritage” of Rondine Cittadella della Pace in Arezzo. She also collaborates with a number of heritage-related organizations. Among them are the UNESCO Office of the Municipality of Florence, Association MUS.E, and Commission for the Protection of Italian and Foreign Cultural Heritage of the Academy of Arts and Drawings.
Previously Alesia acquired three Master degrees in EU Politics and Administration (College of Europe, Belgium), Art History (University of Florence, Italy) and Human Rights, Migrations and Development (University of Bologna, Italy). An educationist by background, Alesia also develops and conducts interactive Value Education workshops and laboratories for children, and the training of trainers for education specialists. Alesia works for the promotion of principles of the 1935 Roerich Pact, and is a member of ICOM, ICOMOS, UNESCO Emergency Safeguarding of Syrian Cultural Heritage Roster of Experts and the UNESCO Centre of Florence Onlus.
Alesia is active internationally conducting lectures, trainings and speeches, publishing articles and organizing conferences and events on the themes of her academic and professional expertise.