Madison Leeson

Madison Leeson is a cultural historian and digital humanities researcher whose work explores the intersection of heritage, history, and technology. With a PhD in Archaeology and History of Art, she specialises in tracing the movement and transformation of cultural objects across empires, institutions, and digital infrastructures. Her research combines deep archival work with computational analysis to examine how artifacts, manuscripts, and monuments have become entangled in modern-day conflicts over identity, belonging, and historical legitimacy. She focuses particularly on Ottoman successor states, considering how 19th- and 20th-century political dynamics shaped the governance of material culture, and how these legacies are mobilised today in both cultural preservation and heritage destruction. As Director of Turaath Tech, she leads historical research and development of tools to protect cultural heritage in Europe and the MENA region.