Michele Ziolkowski

Dr Michele Ziolkowski has a background in art, design, photography and archaeology. She attained a Doctoral degree from the University of Sydney, Australia, in Near Eastern Archaeology in 2002. Michele first visited the UAE in 1993 as an undergraduate student to work on an archaeological excavation. Many field seasons followed, working in the Emirates of Sharjah, Dubai, Fujairah, and the Sultanate of Oman. Michele has experience teaching at university level and presenting papers at international conferences. She has authored and edited numerous academic publications on the archaeology, history and heritage of the Emirates. Including the monographs, Fujairah’s Date Palm Gardens: A preliminary survey (2020), The Natural History of Fujairah (2023) and The Archaeology and History of Fujairah: Human presence in the Environment (2024). Michele is also the author of the children’s books The Boy who knew the Mountains, Suhail’s Abu Dhabi Adventure, The Journey Home, Little Camel, Heiko the Hippo, Safia’s Archaeological Adventures and Mountain Train. The Boy who knew the Mountains book series is now an award-winning feature film. She has received grants and awards for her work including the Sheikh Mubarak bin Mohammed Al-Nahyan award (Emirates Natural History Group) in 2006 and a Sharjah Book Award for the best children’s book (English) in 2017. In 2015 Michele co-founded GOALS UAE, an initiative focused on developing extra-curricular activities for children with autism. In recent years she has focused on spreading autism awareness and understanding through her children’s books at community and school reading events. Originally from Australia, Michele is now a naturalised UAE citizen. Married to an Emirati, Michele and her husband have a son, Suhail. They currently live in Abu Dhabi. Michele has worked for several UAE government departments, including the Office of the Crown Prince in Fujairah. She currently works for Abu Dhabi Police, Heritage Section, Department of Protocol and Public Relations.

Instagram: @theboywhoknewmountains

LinkedIn: Dr Michele Ziolkowski