ITP Fellows returning this summer
Written by Amelia Kedge, ITP Coordinator (Legacy Projects)
This summer is a busy one for the International Training Programme. Alongside welcoming 22 fellows on this year’s annual programme, we are delighted that 10 ITP alumni will also be returning to the British Museum over the coming months.
This summer we are pleased to welcome back:
Leila Al-Sammak, Syria (ITP 2025)
Leila is returning to the British Museum in July to work on a co-curation project with Maria-Gabriella Micale, Curator of ancient Levant and Syria. This collaboration will develop a dedicated space to display a selection of Tell Halaf objects, highlighting their historical and cultural significance, the context of their excavation, and the influence the Tell Halaf collection has had on the British Museum’s presentation of the ancient world. The project will also explore how the future interpretation and display of ancient Syria can be shaped within the Museum’s ongoing masterplan.
Shadia Abdu Rabo, Sudan (ITP 2006)
Shadia will be back at the British Museum working with colleagues in the Egypt and Sudan department on a research project. Shadia’s project will create an open access platform dedicated to preserving documents, photographs and archives related to archaeological research and museum collections in Sudan under threat due to the current conflict.
As 2026 is a milestone year for the ITP, celebrating our 20th anniversary, this year’s programme will conclude with an anniversary week of discussions, workshops and activities exploring current issues in the culture and heritage sector. The week will end with a drinks reception to celebrate this important anniversary and a chance for the Museum to thank our stakeholders and supporters, whose generosity has made the ITP possible for 20 years.
In August we will be welcoming:
Siddhant Shah, India (ITP 2021)
Siddhant will be delivering a session to this year’s ITP fellows about his work with Access Beyond Borders, as part of this year’s anniversary week programme on a day themed around working internationally.
And the following fellows will be joining us at the British Museum in the final week to take part in our anniversary programme and help us celebrate this milestone year:
Cynthia Iruobe, Nigeria (ITP 2010)
Mouza Sulaiman Mohamed Al-Wardi, Oman (ITP 2013)
Ahmed Hemida, Egypt (ITP 2016)
Astghik Marabyan, Armenia (ITP 2017)
Andrea Terrón Gomez, Guatemala, (ITP 2017)
Aprille P. Tijam, Philippines (ITP 2019)
Ciprian-Mircea Dobra, Romania (ITP 2019)
It is always a pleasure to reconnect with the ITP network in person, and we look forward to introducing the 2026 fellows to our alumni.