Fabrizio Galeazzi

Fabrizio is a cultural heritage and creative technology scientist. His research explores the combination of 3D interactive visualisation, immersive technologies (VR, AR, MR) and multimodal storytelling to develop cutting-edge solutions for heritage preservation and revitalisation, community engagement and sustainable development.

[email protected]

Background

Fabrizio is a Professor in Heritage and Creative Technologies and Director of StoryLab. His research lies at the intersection of cultural heritage, sustainability, and digital innovation. He is particularly interested in how 3D technologies, interactive/immersive visualisation, and multimodal narratives can foster heritage revitalisation, preservation, and access. His work combines rapid prototyping, speculative design, and agile creative practice methodologies to explore, reflect on, and evidence the connections between digitally reproduced tangible heritage and communities’ identities and values (ie, intangible heritage).

Fabrizio is the consortium lead of the €3m Horizon Europe REVIVE project (Community-centred language REVItalisation powered by heritage-led storytellling and digital innoVation in Europe), which seeks to identify and evaluate the role of digital innovation, creativity and interactive narratives in fostering the revitalisation of Endangered Intangible Heritage and Languages (EIHL), while promoting social integration and cross-cultural fertilisation among marginalised European communities. The project explores how citizen participation, multidisciplinarity, and the creative dimension of digital innovation can serve as effective means for consolidating and promoting multilingualism and EIHL in Europe. REVIVE collaborate closely with UNESCO UK, the Innovate UK Immersive Technology Network and the UNESCO Chair on Intangible Cultural Heritage in Public and Global Governance at the University of Warsaw in Poland to develop guidelines and policy recommendations aimed at positively influencing policy and practice in linguistic and cultural preservation.

With a track record in digital heritage and 3D technologies, Fabrizio held academic posts at the University of California, the City University of Hong Kong, and the University of York, looking at the impact of 3D technologies and online participatory infrastructures on heritage research. He has facilitated a number of cross-disciplinary projects including a Marie Skłodowska Curie European Fellowship. For this project he developed a web-based interactive environment for the management and analysis of archived 3D data. A 3D Viewer was developed for the Archaeology Data Service at the University of York, and within the framework of the European ARIADNE infrastructure project. The tool has since been adopted by the ADS and the open access journal Internet Archaeology. He was also lead of the Reviving Kusunda project funded by the British Academy, which was presented at the British Academy Summer Showcase 2022 and on BBC World News.

Fabrizio has developed several knowledge transfer partnerships, including the KTP-Innovate UK Immersive Antarctica project in collaboration with UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, which received an ‘Outstanding’ rating for the quality of its Knowledge Transfer Partnership. He also contributed to the UNESCO Network for Mediterranean Youth, helping partner youth organisations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) develop IT skills to support their engagement for the protection and promotion of cultural heritage.
Fabrizio serves on the Academic Board of the Innovate UK Immersive Technologies Network, is a Trustee of The Cambridge Room, and an advisory board member of The Virtual Experience Company.

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Spoken Languages

• Italian
• English

Research interests

Fabrizio’s research explores the combination of digital technologies, immersive media and multimodal storytelling to develop heritage-led creative interventions for socio-cultural revitalisation and sustainable development in different interdisciplinary research streams.

• XR technologies for languages and heritage revitalisation: explore the potential of using 3D immersive storytelling to preserve and revive endangered languages, knowledge and heritage.
• Immersive storytelling and archival research: investigate the integrated use of immersive technologies and online archiving for increasing access to and preservation of non-linear narratives.
• Creative technology and storytelling for building heritage-led resilience to conflict and climate change: evaluate the impact that the integrated use of 3D interactive visualisation and participatory research might have on increasing adaptation and resilience to climate change and conflicts, as well as promoting heritage innovation and sustainable development. See INHERIT Resilience Network.

Areas of research supervision

• Heritage and creativity technologies
• Immersive technologies (VR, AR, MR)
• Storytelling
• Heritage-led resilience and sustainability
• Heritage and climate change
• Heritage of conflict
• 3D documentation
• 3D visualisation
• Heritage monitoring and preservation

Current PhD supervision

• XR Kernow: An immersive storytelling project focusing on community-centred Cornish heritage and language revitalisation using extended reality (XR) technology
• Immersive XR storytelling of Indigenous African architectural heritage for a culturally inclusive, sustainable future
• A biomolecular and digital analysis of the Anglo-Saxon Cemetery at Newark Castle
• The Dunwich Rose: Exploring sustainable approaches to developing virtual heritage
• Exploring ‘forced displacement’ through the co-creation of an extended reality experience
• Investigating the resilience potential of heritage in response to climate change-related conflict in UK-based Syrian refugees

Qualifications

• PhD in World Culture/Digital Heritage, University of California Merced
• Post-graduate Specialization in Medieval Archaeology, University of Rome 'La Sapienza'
• BA + MA in Archaeology, University of Rome 'La Sapienza'

Memberships, editorial boards

• Academic Board of the Innovate UK Immersive Technology Network
• Trustee of The Cambridge Room
• Leadership team for the Sustainable Futures theme at ARU
• Advisory Board Member of The Virtual Experience Company
• Founding member of the Climate Heritage Network
• Member of Cambridge Wireless
• Member of the Association of Critical Heritage Studies
• Board of Expert Reviewers for the Research Executive Agency of the European Commission (H2020)
• Board of Reviewers for Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), UK
• Board of Reviewers for Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
• Board of Reviewers for the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO)
• University of California Humanities Network

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

• 2025-28: Consortium Lead, Horizon Europe for the project REVIVE: Community-centred language REVItalisation powered by heritage-led storytellling and digital innoVation in Europe.
• 2024-25: Co-Investigator, National Lottery Heritage Grants with Together Culture for the project Let’s Go Fly ‘The Kite’ project.
• 2021-23: Lead Academic, Knowledge Transfer Partnership (Innovate UK) in collaboration with UK Antarctic Heritage Trust for the project Immersive Antarctica.
• 2021-22: Principal Investigator, British Academy/Leverhulme in collaboration with NowHere Media for the project Kusunda: How extended reality offers a more critical and emotional engagement with endangered indigenous languages and heritage.
• 2020-21: Principal Investigator, ARU GCRF QR fund in collaboration with the University of Petra in Jordan and the GSI for the project Investigating heritage-led resilience to conflict, scarcity and climate change with Syrian refugees in Jordan.
• 2019-2022: Principal Investigator, Collaboration with Essex Police and Chelmsford City Council for the development of a VR immersive experience to promote the creation of an emotional connection with young people to address key issues of knife violence. 
• 2017: Successful British Council Grant proposal with Virtual Experience Company, the University of Cambridge and the University of Essex for the project Digital documentation of Ksar es-Said.
• 2014-16: Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship, Department of Archaeology, University of York. 7th Framework Programme for the Research of the European Union.
• 2013-14: University of California President’s Dissertation Fellowship in the Humanities.
• 2010-12: Graduate Research Council (GRC) Summer Research Fellowship, University of California Merced.
• 2008-14: PhD Scholarship for international students, University of California Merced.

Selected recent publications

Creative works

Let’s Go Fly the Kite (2024). Interactive online platform and archive of stories about the heritage of the Kite area in Cambridge, UK. Developed in collaboration with Together Culture during a National Heritage Lottery funded project.

Immersive Antarctica: A Frozen Night. VR immersive application developed in collaboration with UK Antarctic Heritage Trust and British Antarctic Survey during a Knowledge Transfer Partnership led by StoryLab (rated ‘Outstanding’).

Italia Terremotata (2023). Interactive VR application.

Inherit Resilience Network (2022). Interactive webpage developed for an international research network on heritage-led resilience to conflict and climate change in the MENA region.

Heritage-led Resilience to Conflict, Scarcity and Climate Change with Syrian Refugees in Jordan (2022). Interactive visual diagrams telling the stories of refugees’ migration from Syria to the Za’atri Refugee Camp in Jordan.

Creative Technologies and Storytelling: Co-creating with Communities in Libya (2022). Interactive 3D/360 platform for the visualisation of Libyan tangible heritage and communities’ stories.

Reloaded (2022). Interactive VR application about Knife Crime developed in collaboration with the Essex Police and the Chelmsford City Council.

Base E (2020). Interactive VR application developed in collaboration with UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Italia Terremotata (2021). Interactive VR application.

Italia Terremotata (2020). Documentary in English and Italian. BAFTSS Best Research Practice Innovation Award.

Base E (2020). Interactive VR application developed in collaboration with UK Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Ksar Said Palace in 3D (2020). Online Interactive Platform.

ADS 3D Viewer: a 3D Real-Time System for the Management and Analysis of Archaeological Data (2016), Online Interactive Platform.

Edited books and special issues

Galeazzi, F., and Richards-Rissetto, H. (Eds), 2018. Web-based infrastructures as a collaborative framework across archaeological fieldwork, lab work and analysis. Special Issue Journal of Field Archaeology 43 (S1).

Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco, P., Galeazzi, F., and Vassallo, V. (Eds), 2018. Authenticity and Cultural Heritage in the Age of 3D Digital Reproductions. McDonald Institute Conversations Series (University of Cambridge). DOI: 10.17863/CAM.27029

Peer-reviewed articles

Garbutt, J., Galeazzi, F., and Swami, V., in press. Using Virtual Reality to Enable Emotional Engagement Around Knife Crime in Young People. Sage Open.

Galeazzi, F., Parameswaran, G., Gaedtke, F., and Swami, V., 2025. Exploring the revitalisation of endangered intangible heritage and languages through multimedia storytelling and immersive technologies: A case study of virtual reality and 2D film with the Kusunda community in Nepal. Special issue: Digital Heritage Futures, Frontiers in Computer Sciences 7. DOI: 10.3389/fcomp.2025.1488802.

Tsenova, V., Thomas, H., Rime, J., and Galeazzi, F., 2025. Let’s Go Fly the Kite. In Driving Design 3(3): 180-185. In: Distributed Design Platform (Eds). ISBN: 978-84-120886-6-3.

Swami, V., Graf, H.M., Biebl, S., Schmid, T., Siebenhandl, A., Willinger, D., Galeazzi, F., and Stieger, S., 2024 Exposure to simulated nature promotes positive body image irrespective of the presentation modality: A comparison of images, 2-dimensional film, and 360 immersive film. Body Image, 51: 101803. DOI: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2024.101803.

Galeazzi, F., Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco, P., Toulson, R., Camporesi, C., and Patel, S. 2022. Earthquakes, communities and heritage: Telling stories of resilience through co-designed immersive media. Visual Studies, 37 (4). DOI: 10.1080/1472586X.2022.2102539

Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco, P., Winterbottom, M., Galeazzi, F., and Gogan, M. 2019. Ksar Said: Building Tunisian young people’s critical engagement with their heritage. Sustainability, 11(5): 1373. DOI: 10.3390/su11051373

Galeazzi, F., and Richards-Rissetto, H., 2018. Web-based Archaeology and Collaborative Research. Journal of Field Archaeology, 43 (S1): S1-S8. DOI: 10.1080/00934690.2018.1512701

Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco, P., Galeazzi, F., and Vassallo, V., 2018. Why authenticity still matters today. In: Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco, P., Galeazzi, F., and Vassallo, V. (Eds), Authenticity and Cultural Heritage in the Age of 3D Digital Reproductions. McDonald Institute Conversations Series (University of Cambridge). 1-9. DOI: 10.17863/CAM.27029

Galeazzi, F., 2018. 3D Virtual Replicas and Simulations of the Past: “Real” or “Fake” Representations? Current Anthropology 59(3): 268-86. DOI: 10.1086/697489 
Galeazzi, F., and Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco, P., 2017. Theorising 3D visualization systems in archaeology: Towards more effective design, evaluations and life cycles. Internet Archaeology, 44. DOI:10.11141/ia.44.5

Galeazzi, F., Callieri, M., Dellepiane, M., Charno, M., Scopigno, R., and Richards, J., 2016. Web-based Visualization for 3D Data in Archaeology: The ADS 3D Viewer. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 9: 1-11. DOI:10.1016/j.jasrep.2016.06.045

Galeazzi, F., 2016. Towards the definition of best 3D practices in archaeology: Assessing 3D documentation techniques for intra-site data recording. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 17: 159-69. DOI:10.1016/j.culher.2015.07.005

Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco, P., Camporesi, C., Galeazzi, F., and Kallmann, M., 2015. 3D Printing and Immersive Visualization for Improved Perception of Ancient Artifacts. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments. Special Issue on Living Virtual Heritage (MIT Press), 24(3): 243-64. DOI: 10.1162/PRES_a_00229

Galeazzi, F., Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco, P., and Matthews, J. L., 2015. Comparing 2D pictures with 3D replicas for the digital preservation and analysis of tangible heritage. Museum Management and Curatorship, 30(5): 462-83. DOI: 10.1080/09647775.2015.1042515

Recent presentations and conferences

Invited lectures, seminars and workshops

Doctoral Training Alliance – Workshop and placement programme (July–November 2024, Cambridge, UK). Invited by the University Alliance to develop a workshop and a placement programme for the PhD students participating in the DTA Summer School.

1st International ARU Sustainable Futures Conference at ARU (June 21-22 2023, Cambridge, UK). Conference on Resilience to Extreme Events.

ArcheoVirtual 2023 (October, Salerno, Italy) as part of The Mediterranean Exchange of Archaeological Tourism with the patronage of UNESCO and UNWTO, UN’s government bodies for Culture and Tourism. Invited to demonstrate the Immersive Antarctica VR project.

21st Eurographics Workshop on Graphics and Cultural Heritage (4-6 September 2023, Lecce, Italy). Invited to demonstrate the Immersive Antarctica VR project.

Panel Discussion: Digital Technology, Art and Storytelling (21 February 21 2023, Chelmsford, UK). Invited speaker for a panel discussion organised by the Chelmsford City Museum.

University of East Anglia (March 2022, Norwick, UK) Invited speaker for the UEA Digital Humanities Interdisciplinary Seminar on Digitising Disasters.

Development Programme Towards Climate Heritage in Libya, February-March 2022, Tripoli, Libya, British Council Cultural Protection Fund and Scene: Culture and Heritage. Invited Instructor: 1. ‘Climate Change Risk Assessment for Cultural Heritage in Libya’; 2. ‘3D Technologies for Climate Heritage in Libya’.

Building Partnerships for Humanitarian Heritage in South Asia. Partnerships, Opportunities and Regional Challenges (ENGAGE Network – Heritage Boarders of Engagement), 9-10 October 2020. ‘Cultural Institutions and Artistic Expression for the Preservation of Indigenous Languages and Heritage’.

Proto Fest 2020: Festival of Technology and Creativity, Tromsø, Norway, April 2020. Workshop on ‘3D Visualisation and Digital Creativity’.

12th Annual Institute for European Archaeology (IEMA) Conference, Critical Archaeology in the Digital Age, University of Buffalo, 6-7 April 2019. ‘3D Thinking in Archaeology: From Critical Interaction to Effective Evaluation’.

UNESCO Network for Mediterranean Youth programme, 2018. Invited Instructor for a digital workshop on creative digital technologies and cultural heritage, aimed at equipping partner youth organizations with new IT skills, with a view to support their engagement for the protection and promotion of cultural heritage.

Ministry of Education, Universities and Research (Italy), 2018. Invited Teachers Instructor for ‘FUTURA: National Plan for the Digital School’ (three days of training and activities, Bologna, January 2018). 2018: The Year of Cultural Heritage. Archaeology in 3D: educational applications.

Publishing Archaeological Data Online Workshop, ANAMED (Research Center for Anatolian Studies), Koç University, Istanbul, Turkey, 1 December 2017. ‘Web-Based 3D Visualization and Archaeological Publishing: The ADS 3D Viewer’.

Royal Archaeological Institute Lectures, 2016. ‘Web-based visualisation of archaeological excavation data: combining traditional and innovative methods through collaborative platforms’.

University of Cambridge 2016 McDonald Seminar Series, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research. ‘3D Web-based Visualisation and Archiving in Archaeology’.

University of York, 2014. Centre for Digital Heritage. ‘Envisioning Digital Heritage’.

Selected conference presentations

Galeazzi, F., Parameswaran, G. & Gaedtke, F. Reviving Kusunda: Evaluating the impact of immersive storytelling for the revitalisation of endangered heritage and languages. 7th Association of Critical Heritage Studies Conference, 3-6 June 2024, Galway, Ireland.

Galeazzi, F., AlFurjani, R. & Natalini, D. Heritage-led resilience in Libya: creative technologies and storytelling to build a more inclusive and resilient society. Heritage for the Future/Science for Heritage Conference, 15-16 March 2022.

Galeazzi, F. Online collaborative infrastructures and 3D visualisation for documentation, analysis and preservation in archaeology. SAA (Society for American Archaeologists) 87th Annual Meeting, Chicago, IL, USA, 30 March–3 April 2022.

Galeazzi, F., Musmar, A., and Natalini, D. Digital stories of heritage-led resilience and sustainability with Syrian refugees in Jordan. Digital Sustainability: From Resilience to Transformation, Kingston School of Art, London, 4-7 September 2022.

Galeazzi, F., and Jensen, P. Online collaborative platforms and 3D visualisation for increased interoperability, integration and interpretation in archaeology. European Association of Archaeologists, 24th Annual Meeting, Barcelona (Spain), 5-8 September 2018.

Galeazzi, F. Evaluation of 3D documentation technologies in archaeology: new strategies and approaches in digital field methods. 3D Digital Technologies and Archaeology Workshop, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, 17-18 May 2016.

Galeazzi, F., and Jensen, P. Digital frameworks in archaeological fieldwork: practices for archiving, management and visualisation of structure-from-motion data. CAA-UK (43rd Computer Application and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology), Critical Geomatics or just droning on?, Leicester, UK, 5-6 March 2016.

Galeazzi, F., Callieri, M., Dellepiane, M., Charno, M., Scopigno, R., and Richards, J. From research archives to web-based visualization: the ADS 3D viewer. Digital Heritage Conference: 3D in Knowledge Production, Aarhus, Denmark, 20-22 May 2015.

Galeazzi, F. ADS 3D Viewer: an example of open 3D real-time visualization system in archaeology. SAA (Society for American Archaeologists) 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, USA, 15-19 April 2015.

Galeazzi, F. Finding a place for the new: integrating 3D recording techniques with traditional practices of archaeological documentation. CAA (43rd Computer Application and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology), Keep the Revolution Going, Siena, Italy, 30 March-3April 2015.

Media experience

BBC World News (live 17 June 2022), interview about the ‘Reviving Kusunda’ project: https://fb.watch/e6r6TdG79N/.