Elie Essa Kas Hanna began his university studies in Syria, where he completed a master's degree in archaeology at the University of Aleppo in 2007. He obtained his PhD from the Pontifical Institute of Christian Archaeology in Rome in 2017. He has received several national and international awards such as the Marc de Montalembert prize in 2018. He is currently associated professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome.