Simone Gigliotti

Dr. Simone Gigliotti is a Reader (Associate Professor) in Holocaust Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London, affiliated with the Department of History and serving as Deputy Director of the Holocaust Research Institute (HRI). She also directs postgraduate education for the School of Humanities. Her research examines the Holocaust through interdisciplinary lenses including spatial history, testimony studies, and visual representation.

Research interests focus on:

• The spatial dynamics of Nazi deportations and death marches
• Holocaust testimony across written, oral, and visual forms
• Postwar refugee diasporas and global resettlement patterns
• Cinematic representations of displacement and trauma
• Digital methodologies for mapping Holocaust experiences
• Cultural genocide and heritage destruction

Her publications consistently explore intersections of geography, trauma, and representation, with recent work examining digital memory preservation, maritime refugee routes, and AI-generated historical narratives. Research employs multi-layered materials including testimony archives, film, photography, and spatial data.

Honors include election as Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. She leads major grants including AHRC-funded EHRI-UK (European Holocaust Research Infrastructure) and collaborates internationally on mobility studies and genocide research.

She directs the MA Holocaust Studies program and leads digital skills workshops using geospatial tools like StoryMaps. Affiliations include the Centre for GeoHumanities, Conflict Violence and Terrorism Research Centre, and international partnerships with USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research.