Our team

The Lyme Museum is run by individuals who are passionate about making the world a better place.
Our main goal is to share stories around the lived experience of invisible illnesses and disabilities.

Angela faces the camera front on. She is wearing a black velvet top and a golden necklace. She has medium length blonde/brown hair with it falling over the right side of her face and tucked behind her left ear.

Dr Angela Stienne She/her

I am a French museum historian, author, and storyteller at the forefront of blending medical humanities, museum studies, and creative storytelling. As the founder of The Lyme Museum, I lead efforts to amplify the voices of underrepresented communities, especially those living with invisible illnesses and disabilities. Through innovative virtual exhibitions and outreach, I advocate for access and inclusion, integrating the social model of disability into every facet of my work. I aim to forge relationships, devise communication strategies, and deliver lectures worldwide on inclusive representation in heritage and education. Honored with the 2023 University of Leicester’s Dr. Mark Sims Memorial Award for Public Service, I am a leading figure in critical disability studies and public engagement.

Ilenia faces the camera front on. She is wearing a black and grey striped turtle neck and a grey sweater. She has thick black rimmed rectangular glasses and her black hair is tied up.

Ilenia Atzori She/her

I am a PhD student at the University of Brighton, researching the perception of cultural heritage among diverse communities. With a focus on inclusivity, I seek to empower communities to actively participate in decisions regarding their cultural heritage.

Drawing from my personal experience with severe endometriosis, I aim to change the narrative surrounding this total body condition. As The Lyme Museum's Italy coordinator, I deliver lectures on our project and explore collaboration opportunities, advancing our mission of promoting accessibility and inclusion in cultural heritage.

Sophia is positioned to the left of the image. She has black long curly hair and is smiling. She has her hand on a ginger and white cat with yellow eyes who is central to the image. In the background there are leaves and greenery.

Sophia Williams She/her

I am an aspiring medical anthropologist, and am currently pursuing an MA in Medical History and Humanities at the University of York. As a deaf sign language user, I am passionate about increasing the visibility of disabled and marginalized experiences, especially within the humanities and museum settings. At The Lyme Museum, I will play a role in ensuring that its exceptional content remains accessible and inclusive. I am eager to contribute to the expansion of space for lived experiences to be expressed through people and their (hi)stories.

Elliot is pictured among snowy mountains. He has short brown hair and is wearing round black sunglasses. He has a septum piercing and a nostril piercing. He has a colourful neck scarf on and a black sweater.

Elliot Wolfgang Falkus He/him

I am a queer disabled heritage practitioner, invested in radical reconciliatory heritage. I aim to work at the intersection of death studies, anthropology, and critical museology and am fascinated by the lived intersections of queer, disabled, and decolonial heritage. I am a graduate of the University of Exeter's International Heritage Management and Consultancy MA, and am currently working FoH at the Natural History Museum, as well as undertaking freelance heritage work. I am also passionate about championing access and equity within the sector and for museum visitors. My career aspirations are in interpretation and exhibitions and so I am very excited to be working toward exhibition research and development with the Lyme Museum. I can be found online at wolfgang_falkus.

Rebekah is pictured in front of a tree with pink blossom. She is wearing an orange strapped top and has a necklace and large beaded white, red and orange earrings. She has brown hair tied up with bangs. She has thin wired shaped glasses. She also has indigenous tattoos which are visible on her face around her eyes and chin. She sports some facial piercings including nostrils and lip.

Rebekah Lamb She/they

I am an indigenous, disabled anthropologist based currently in the Netherlands. I’m a mixed media artist whose work focuses on traditional tattoo revival within indigenous communities. I’ll be working in collections management and museum policy at The Lyme Museum working to help the museum run smoothly and curating new, exciting and dynamic exhibitions! You can find me on social media @appearingacademic, feel free to follow along with my work if you’re interested in seeing more from me!

Emilia is photographed to the left of the image. She is smiling at the camera and has a nostril piercing. She has short curly hair and is wearing a pink baseball cap. She has a blue/grey sweater on. Behind her is lots of greenery from trees.

Emilia Sharples She/her

Hello! I’m Emilia and I’ll be helping to work on enhancing the museum’s online presence. Having studied Art History and Digital Heritage at university, the promotion and protection of heritage has always been really important to me. Ensuring collections remain relevant and accessible to a wide range of audiences is definitely something all institutions should be considering and I am really excited to work with an organisation doing just that!

Robyn is photographed on a giant wooden bench in front of a lake. She has a black coat, black jeans and black boots on. She has long dark brown hair and is holding her hands in front of her with her legs outstretched.

Robyn Timmins She/her

Originally from the Forest of Dean, I recently completed my MSc in Conservation Practice at Cardiff University. While training as an object conservator, I also researched inclusivity and disability within museum collections and conservation decision making. At The Lyme Museum, I hope to research the history of everyday objects and the historical and contemporary meanings they may hold, and stories they can tell, for people with invisible disabilities and chronic illnesses. I have PCOS, hypermobility syndrome, and ADHD.

Giulia is wearing a brown and white checkered blazer and has her back facing the camera. She is looking over her left shoulder upwards at something out of the camera shot. Behind her is a large bright circular work of art on a black background. She has long dark brown hair.

Giulia Pianelli She/her

Originally from Venice, Italy, I’ve recently moved to Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, NZ. I hold a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts Management and a Master’s in Marketing and Global Markets. After spending 8 years in Milan, I decided to move to Aotearoa New Zealand to explore issues related to First Nations art, with a particular focus on Australian Aboriginal and Māori art. I'm the Marketing Coordinator of Te Tuhi, a Māori-led contemporary art centre in Auckland. I also work as an independent art project manager, and I write regularly on my blog, artefortuna.it, as well as share art content on social media. As the Art Director of The Lyme Museum, my main focus is to raise awareness around invisible illnesses and disabilities.

Iliana has her right side facing the camera and she is looking out at us over her right shoulder. She has long dark brown hair and is wearing a black sleeveless top. She is smiling out at the viewer and the background is blurred.

Iliana Morton She/her

I am a museum professional with a passion for inclusive storytelling. I come to The Lyme Museum with a master’s degree in Museum Studies and years of experience working in history museums where I’ve been involved in managing collections and thinking about the stories we tell about people, their lives, and how their material belongings humanize and illuminate their lived experiences. I am excited to help The Lyme Museum develop collections processes to help us care for the objects and stories that you share with us! I will also be helping The Lyme Museum with project management and team communication efforts. I recently started work as a museum consultant (Museum Fix), where I am pursuing my passion of helping small museums thrive.

Eva is set against a white background. She has medium length dark curly hair. She faces the camera side on and is wearing a green shirt and has on a small necklace.

Evangelia Valliou She/her

Having studied Archaeology, History of Art and Museum Exhibition Planning and Design, the promotion of tangible and intangible heritage has always been my priority in research. An object in a gallery is not just about the object itself. It can open up an unknown world of life, ethos and psyche. These three dimensions are revealed when the object is connected to human beings. The inclusive way of the presentation of this connection in museums and galleries has always been my aim. The Lyme Museum is a way through which a collection of objects can present a collection of stories and offer the opportunity for everyone to feel included and visible. I am really happy to contribute to the events programming and communication to reach a wider public.