Spotlight on Ari Volanakis, Sustainable Heritage PhD student

Ari is an experienced heritage management professional, with an earlier commercial background. Since his Heritage Management MA in 2011, Ari has worked in a number of roles for the National Trust, then as Heritage Area Manager for Lincolnshire County Council and as Resilience and Development Manager for Heritage Lottery projects.

“I completed my latest Heritage Lottery funded development project before starting my MPhil/PhD studies, and I continue to support Rutland County Council Heritage Service in development projects, and I provide consultancy to the Museums Development West Midlands for museums at risk."

Ari's doctoral research addresses the deficiency of an organisational knowledge management design for cultural heritage organisations to manage the external and internal pressures that lead to closures and service reduction, and he describes how this interest evolved:

“My interest in cultural heritage was incubated as a child by the views of the Acropolis through my bedroom window, and my father whom as a head-teacher used to take us to visit archaeological sites and museums regularly. I started volunteering and working in cultural heritage just as the impacts of the credit crunch and following austerity hit the sector. I have first-hand experience of the pressures and the resulting impact of closures and service reduction to cultural heritage organizations such as museums, libraries, archives, theatres and so on.My interest in cultural heritage was incubated as a child by the views of the Acropolis through my bedroom window, and my father whom as a head-teacher used to take us to visit archaeological sites and museums regularly. I started volunteering and working in cultural heritage just as the impacts of the credit crunch and following austerity hit the sector. I have first-hand experience of the pressures and the resulting impact of closures and service reduction to cultural heritage organizations such as museums, libraries, archives, theatres and so on."

The resulting themes of Ari's research will inform the strategic application of organisational knowledge management in cultural heritage, of barriers to be anticipated and ways to overcome those. The research audience includes policy makers and all professionals working in cultural heritage (curating organisations and sector-support providers) at local, regional, national, and international levels. Ari explains that the supervisory support of Prof. Kalliopi Fouseki and Dr. Ilias Krystallis combines invaluable expertise in Sustainable Heritage Management and in Organisational Change, and says of his study experience:

“My knowledge and skills grow every day. Studying here is not just about producing the credible final thesis but also about growing as a person and as a researcher; acquiring (and hopefully mastering) a range of skills that I had not even considered. UCL provides an incredibly diverse community and the range of support and up-to-date tools to make this possible."

Ari is supporting as Postgraduate Teaching Assistant for two of the modules of the MSc Sustainable Heritage in 2023. When asked how he would describe his PhD to prospective students, Ari said:

“An unmissable journey! As a mature student I worked long and hard to put together all the pieces needed to make this happen. It is arduous but rewarding."