Serena Autiero is an archaeologist and historian, she specializes in Global Studies, Transcultural contacts and Silk Road Studies. Her research is particularly focused on the outputs of transregional and transcultural contacts in South Asia and bordering areas. 

Before joining the CERES, she worked at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou (PRC) as researcher in Buddhist Archaeology and Buddhist Social History; she previously earned a research fellowship from UNESCO India and worked as Assistant Professor in Art History at the Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University of Riyadh (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). 

She completed her PhD in 2012 at the Sapienza University of Rome, with the thesis “Cultural and trade contact in the Western Indian Ocean according to historical, literary, epigraphical, numismatic, archaeological and art-historical data (3^rdcent.BC – 5^th cent. AD)”. 

Since 2005 she's been part of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Nepal (“L'Orientale” University of Naples) and then she participated to the Italian Archaeological Mission in the Swat Valley (Pakistan). From 2007 to 2014 she worked for the National Museum of Oriental Art 'G. Tucci' (now Museum of Civilizations), Rome. 

Serena Autiero is a member of ISMEO and other international professional associations. She took part in several international conferences and has a long record of lectures in prestigious venues around the world. She published several peer reviewed papers in international academic journals and collective volumes. 

South Asian art and archaeology, Globalization and Transculturality, South Asian religions and cultural history, Gandharan Studies, Inter-religious encounters in South Asia and with neighbouring areas, cultural and religious outputs of ancient networks