Before joining the University of Malta at the Department of Library Information & Archive Sciences in 2020, Dr Vanesio was post-doc in Archival History and Archivist of the Malta Study Center (HMML, USA) from 2018 to 2020 and she was and still is involved in a range of activities that includes: projects of digitisation, preservation, and archival description; creation of a specific authority file for the records related to the Order of Saint John and the Maltese archipelago; research projects on the archival history of the Order in collaboration with Universities, Research Centres, and other institutions. She is now International Associate of the Malta Study Center and leads cataloguing and research projects in Malta, Italy and the Vatican Library (Barberini project).

Dr Vanesio was also in charge of the first 3-years project of reorganisation of the historical fonds at Magistral Archives of Order of Saint John in Rome (2014-2017) with the creation of an internal archival guide. Her MA and PHD dissertations, both held at Sapienza University of Rome, focused on the archival history of the Order, discovered and identified the historical archival holdings at the Magistral Archives and explored the connections between Rome, the other Hospitaller records at the Italian State Archives and Malta. She held two specialisation diploma at the State Archive in Rome and the Vatican Archive.

Her main fields of research are history of archives and institutions, with a focus on the Order of St John and the Mediterranean area, archival cataloguing standards, and digital humanities. She is also recently delving into the interplay between archives and emotions, archival pedagogies, and colonial legacies in the field of archives and libraries. Dr Vanesio has conducted research and lectured in Italy, Malta and United States and is part of international research projects (see projects section).

Dr Vanesio was awarded the Premio Bibliographica (2016), the Heckman Stipend from the Hill Museum and Manuscript Library (2017; 2022) and the mention to the Premio Minerva (2020) for the best doctoral dissertation and research career at Sapienza University of Rome.

Research projects:

Ongoing

The Order of St John and the Barberini Family Archive. In collaboration with the
Vatican Library (2022- )

IDEX NOBILIAM (Noblesses : Histoire, IA, Mathématiques, fin XVe-début XIXe s.).
Principal investigator: Professor Anne Brogini (Université Côte d’Azur; 2022-2025)

Archives and Emotions. Research project and online conference (7/10/22) in
collaboration with Dr Ilaria Scaglia (Aston University of Birmingham)

The Langue of Italy Archives Digitization Project. Malta Study Center at HMML (2022- )

IPAS+ 2022 (Malta Council for Science and Technology) Project, Stories of the Auberge
d'Italie: faces, facets & facades (project code: IPAS-2022-017; principal investigator:
Christian Mifsud (Heritage Malta), Dr Valeria Vanesio, Dr Emanuel Buttigieg, Dr
Valentina Burgassi team members; 6000 euros; 2022-2023)

Pioneers in Maltese Archives and Libraries. Investigating 20th-century Maltese archival
and library history (with Dr Charles Farrugia). Awarded the Research Seed Fund 2022 of
the University of Malta (3700 euros; 2022, 2023)

International associate of a multi-year project funded by the National Endowment for
the Humanities to create a definitive list of authorities files for the Order of Malta,
including corporate names, geographic names, personal and family names to be submitted
to VIAF and Library of Congress. Project directed by HMML and the Malta Study Center
(2020- ).

France and Malta in the Age of Revolution, 1775-1815, project of research and
digitization directed by the Malta Study Center and involving holding institutions in
Malta and France (2019- ).

Concluded

RENOM - (Réseaux, Espaces, NOblesses en Méditerranée), project directed by professors
Anne Brogini, Germain Butaud and Charles Bouveyron. Université Côte d'Azur, Initiative
of Excellence University (2019-2021).

International agreement for scientific collaboration among Sapienza, EPHE-Paris, Malta
University (2018).