Dmitriy Voyakin is the Director of the organisation "Archaeological Expertise" LLP. He supervises and coordinates several large scale research projects and contributes to the development of new courses. He operates as part of a dynamic team that builds links between commercial practice, academic research, local communities and international organizations and professionals, encouraging research and innovation in professional archaeological practice. Responsibilities include managing international heritage research projects and assisting with the interpretation and management of historic sites and landscapes, with a focus on training and capacity-building.
He has worked with professional and research-led archaeological/heritage projects over the last 20 years. Originally from Kazakhstan, his current interest areas lie in archaeological investigation of the Silk Road sites, advance archaeological documentation and management of heritage as well as public archaeology. He is responsible for the development and supervision of projects on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology (Ministry of Education and Science, Kazakhstan) and Archaeological Expertise LLP. Since 2004 he has led several international research projects, including RWTH Aachen Univ. - Sultanate of Oman; DAI Berlin - Pakistan, Baluchistan; UNESCO - Kyrgyz Republic, Krasnaya Rechka; Korean National Research Fund.
Dr. Voyakin has extensive experience of working collaboratively on large-scale projects and his current research is closely linked with initiatives of international organizations such as UNESCO and ICOMOS. Since 2005, he has been involved in the ongoing UNESCO-led serial World Heritage nomination of the Silk Roads, and from 2011, as the UNESCO official facilitator. As well as focusing on cultural heritage and preservation, Dmitriy works on legislation development projects with the Kazakhstan Parliament, where he gained experience on a wide range administrative issues.
Dmitriy Voyakin has also led heritage education initiatives in Central Asia. In his home institutions he regularly contributes to various degree courses. He actively publishes scientific results (over 180 articles, mostly in Russian and 7 monographs) as well as being a scientific editor.