Ioanna Spiliopoulou studied History and Archaeology at the University of Athens. Her postgraduate studies are on Classical and Christian Archaeology, Art History and Modern Greek Philology at the University of Bonn. She has a doctorate in Classical Archaeology, University of Bochum (specialising in Roman Archaeology). She taught Modern Greek Language, Literature and Culture at the University of Erlangen-Nürenberg (1982-2003) and Modern Greek Culture at the University of Würzburg (1994-97). In 2008 she was appointed Assistant Professor in Antique Studies and Cultural History at the Department of History Archaeology and Cultural Resources Management (University of the Peloponnese). In 2018 she was appointed Associate Professor in the History and Management of Culture at the same department and since 2023 she has been a full Professor. She has also served as Head of the Department for four years (October 2019-August 2023).

She has taught at the joint Masters programme “Moral Philosophy” of the Department of Philology, University of the Peloponnese and the Department of Philosophy, National and Capodistrian University of Athens (2010-2014), the Masters programme "Sustainable Development", Specialization "Local Development" of the Harokopio University of Athens (2014-2020), the Masters programme "Management and Enhancement of Cultural Resources and the Environment" of DHACRM, while serving on the three member coordinating committee of the programme. She is currently teaching at the Masters programme "Modern and Contemporary History: New Approaches and Perspectives" as well as the programme "Management and Technologies in Cultural Heritage".
Prof. Spiliopoulou has participated in the EU funded project "Kalamata 1821: Roads of Freedom" (ESPA 2018-2021) working on the historical documentation of the pre-revolutionary character of the city of Kalamata in preparation of the film script and on drawing cultural itineraries in the city and the port in preparation of multimedia applications for visitors (a joint project of DHACRM and the Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, University of the Peloponnese).
She is participating in the 3 year research project of excavations at the Kastro of Kalamata (2022-24) as co-director together with Dr. Evangelia Militsi-Kehagia, Head of the Messinian Ephorate of Antiquities.
Prof. Spiliopoulou is the author of the monograph Kaiserzeitliche Grabaltäre Niedermakedoniens (Peleus 15, Mannheim und Möhnesee 2002). She has cooperated with Prof. Egert Poehlmann on the book Drama and Music in Antiquity (Kastaniotis Editions, Athens, 2000), while having jointly authored the monograph Ancient Greek Music in the context of Ancient Greek Poetry (Ionian University/Music Department, Corfu 2007). In cooperation with A.Doulaveras she has edited the volume Messinia: Contributions to its history and culture (scientific supervision G. Xanthaki-Karamanou, Papazisis, Athens 2012). She has published articles on Roman sepulchral art, the reception of antiquity in Byzantium and the West, on Greek Neoclassicism, on Friedrich Thiersch, on Cultural Resources Management, on drawing cultural itineraries, Modern Greek Literature (with emphasis on N. Kazantzakis' travelogues) and the teaching of the Modern Greek language.

1. Roman archaeology
2. Ancient Greek Music
3. Ancient Greek Drama
4. Touring Hellas
5. Reception and revival of Antiquity: Byzantium, Medieval West, Modern Era, Western Dominions in Greece during the Middle Ages and the Modern Era
6. Intercultural approaches to the 19ο c.: Capodistrian Times, Othonian Times, Friedrich Thiersch, Greek neoclassicism
7. Topics in the management of material cultural heritage: enhancement and management of archaeological sites, monuments and residential complexes, city-branding, management of architectural heritage-the reuse buildings (with emphasis on the city of Kalamata), place-branding, region-branding
8. Tourism and sustainable development – drawing cultural itineraries
9. Ethics and archaeology, ethics and culture (identities, alterities etc.)
10. Management of immaterial cultural heritage: spreading the fame of Nikos Kazantzakis’ works
11. Cultural approaches to Nikos Kazantzakis’ travelogues
12. Literary translation