The Inclusive Museum Research Network

Gigi Polo is a Dominican-born designer, educator, filmmaker, and practice-based PhD candidate at RMIT University. Her interdisciplinary work bridges visual culture, inclusive education, and speculative design, with a focus on multisensory, brain-based learning environments that support neurodiverse and neurotypical learners alike. Her current research, Osmotic Sensoria, explores how spatial design, AR/VR/MR technologies, and embodied cognition can reimagine educational spaces rooted in equity and neuroinclusion.

Afreed is currently pursuing a dual doctorate from Goethe University, Frankfurt and Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris where she is working on the topic of digitisation in museums in a comparative study. Through her PhD she has received the DAAD doctoral scholarship and is a member of the German-French Doctoral college ‘Representing the Other: Museums, Universities, Ethnology’. In 2023 she was awarded the German Chancellor Fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation through which she worked on the topic of digitisation and memorialisation culture in Germany with the larger goal of building bridges between India and Germany. She has previously worked as a Research Associate at the CSMVS Museum Mumbai along with a number of different art galleries and museums. Afreed has a Master’s in World Heritage Studies from the Brandenburg University of Technology in Cottbus and a Bachelor’s in History from St. Xavier’s College in Mumbai.

Zsofia Pilz is an external PhD candidate in cognitive psychology at Leiden University. She uses eye-tracking and experimental methods to study visual attention and aesthetic experience, exploring how children and adults perceive and interpret art. She collaborates with museum partners, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Kunstpalast in Düsseldorf, to conduct studies in real exhibition settings. Her work connects cognitive science and digital humanities, reflecting her strong interest in interdisciplinary research and science communication. Zsofia holds a Master’s degree in Linguistic and Literary Computing from TU Darmstadt and currently works as Programme Director at EBS University.

Giorgia Ciolli is a PhD candidate in the doctoral programme Cultural Heritage between Reality and Artificiality: Innovation and Sustainability at Niccolò Cusano University in Rome. She holds a BA in Communication and Enhancement of Cultural Heritage from the Academy of Fine Arts in Rome, an MA in Art History from Sapienza University of Rome - where she completed a thesis on memorial museums and the construction of collective identity - and a second-level MA in Social Museum and Smart Tourism from IUAV University of Venice.

Her doctoral research explores the musealization and cultural interpretation of spaces of transit, such as metro stations and airports, investigating their potential as environments for heritage communication and public engagement.

Dr. Isaac Mensah is a scholar of education whose research interests focus on financial literacy education, museum education, and museum diversity. He earned a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership and Administration from the University of West Florida and is currently a PhD candidate in Organizational Learning and Leadership at North Dakota State University. Dr. Mensah has proposed a theoretical framework for museum diversity known as the ICE Model. Before pursing doctoral education in the United States, he worked for more than a decade with the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, where he held leadership and financial management roles. His scholarly work has been published in several peer-reviewed journals, including publications with Common Ground Research Networks. He also serves as a peer reviewer for The International Journal of the Humanities Education, The International Journal of Arts Education, and The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Educational Studies.

Bruna Bicudo Ribeiro is a master’s student in Museology of Natural and Human Sciences at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle (MNHN) in Paris. Her interests focus on inclusive museum practices, cultural rights, and the role of museums as spaces of welcome and participation. She is interested in how cultural experiences can generate emotions, memories, and personal connections with visitors. She has a particular interest in exploring how cultural spaces can foster a sense of belonging, where people feel seen and valued, welcome, connected, and included in all their diversity. Through these perspectives, she reflects on how cultural institutions can become more open, accessible, and meaningful spaces for diverse communities.

Xiaonan Jiang is an associate professor at Shandong University of Arts in China. She received her Ph.D. in Museum Education and Visitor-Centered Curation from Florida State University in 2024. Her research focuses on visitor-centered exhibitions, museum education, family learning in museums, and inclusive curatorial practices. Drawing on both Chinese and international contexts, her work explores collaborative curation models and culturally responsive approaches to museum practice. Through research and teaching, she seeks to advance inclusive, accessible, and educationally impactful museum experiences.