Professional biography

Barbara Davidde is the Director of the of the Underwater Archaeology Interventions Unit- Istituto Centrale per il Restauro (ICR) – Central Institut for Restauration (Rome-Italy)- Ministry of Culture (MiC -Italy) since the 27th January 2024. She has directed this Unit since 2011 to 2023 too.

Former Director of the Soprintendenza nazionale per il patrimonio culturale subacqueo – National Superintendency for Underwater Cultural Heritage -Ministry of Culture (MiC -Italy) (December 2020-January 2024), since February 2021 to November 2022 she is also Director ad interim of the Soprintendenza per i beni archeologici artisti e storici per le province di Brindisi e Lecce (Lecce). (MiC- Italy).

From 2018 to present, she is Scientific Responsible and Director charged by the Italian Archaeological School of Athens (SAIA) of the Research Projects “Underwater Archaeology Research in the Island of Lemnos”, and “Underwater Archaeological Mission in Epidaurus- Palaia Epidavros”-  Two Collaborative programmes between SAIA, Central Institute for Restoration, National Superintendency for Underwater Cultural Heritage (since 2021) and the Greek Authorities.

Since 2001, she focused her research activities on the in situ restoration of underwater cultural heritage as a researcher in the Restoring Underwater Project. Since July 2011 she is designer and scientific coordinator of several national and international projects for the development of technologies for underwater archaeological research and for the conservation and enhancement of underwater cultural heritage (PON CULTURA E SVILUPPO -FESR 2014-2020; H2020; EASME; H2020 MSCA-RISE; H 2020 JPI Cultural Heritage; Interreg MED 2014-2023; CREA-CULTURE _2021-COOP-HORIZON).  

1996-1998. Co-Director of the ISIAO Underwater Archaeological Mission in the Republic of Yemen – Qana’ (Bir’ali).

1997-1998. Co-Director of the Underwater surveys in the archaeological site of Sumhuram (Khor Rori) – Sultanate of Oman, in collaboration with the University of Pisa and the Omanite Ministry.

Since 2009 she is Adjunct Professor at the Roma Tre University, where she teaches “Underwater Archaeology”.

Since 2024 she is Adjunct Professor at Polytechnic of Bari – School of Specialization in Architectural Heritage and Landscape”, where she teaches “Underwater Archaeology”.

2018 -2020 she is professor of Methodology of Archaeological research at the ICR MA School for Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration (SAF), Matera. Italy.

2017 to 2020 she is professor of Classical Archaeology at the ISCR MA School for Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration (SAF), Rome. Italy.

She is author of more than 100 publications including books, scientific papers and book chapters.

She is a member of the STAB of 2001 UNESCO Convention for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.