Since its creation in 2019, the IRFA comprises of a scientific committee which gives general directions and oversees works and publication:
- Fr. Vincent SÉNÉCHAL, doctor in biblical theology, is the General Superior of the Missions Étrangères de Paris (MEP) Society. He has respectively been a missionary in Cambodia for eleven years, a Catholic representative at the Cambodian Biblical Society, and a teacher at the Phnom Penh Great Seminary and at the Papal Institute of Saint-Pierre of Bangalore. He has been nominated as IRFA Coordinator in 2019, and then as IRFA President in 2021.
- Bish. Antonysamy SUSAIRAJ, a MEP Society member, has been a priest in India before working as a missionary in Cambodia for 25 years. After studying theology at the Pontifical Lateran University, he was appointed apostolic manager of Kompong Cham (Cambodia) in 1997, and then apostolic prefect in 2000. He was designated IRFA Coordinator in 2021.
- Mr Jean-Pierre BAT is a historian, an archivist palaeographer (Ecole nationale des Chartes), an agrégé and doctor in History (Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne), and an associate researcher at the National Centre of Scientific Research (CNRS) and at the Jean-Mabillon Centre. After teaching History and then working as an archivist at the French National Archives, he became a policy officer at the Analysis, Prevision, and Strategy Centre (CAPS) of the Europe and Foreign Affairs ministry. He worked within the scope of several archive cooperation partnerships in Africa and is the author of multiple works on the relations between France and Africa.
- Mr Eric DEROO is an author, director, and former researcher at the CNRS. He has produced many movies, books, articles, and exhibitions about the colonial and military history of France, focusing specifically on the colonial infantryman (tirailleur) and its depictions (L’histoire oubliée, Le piège indochinois, Regards sur l’Indochine, La Grande Guerre des Nations…).
- Mr Yves GAZZO is currently the Order of Malta ambassador accredited to the European Union. Previously, he has been ambassador for the European Union in Jordan, Yemen, the Philippines, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and was accredited to the Holy See. He was also head of the European commission representation in France. He is now president of the overseas scientific Academy.
- Mr Bertrand GOY, after graduating from the ESSEC Business School, started working as a senior executive in the industrial sector, especially in Africa. He is now an advisor and art historian in the field of primitive arts (Africa, Southeast Asia, Oceania). He contributes to many specialised reviews, curating projects, and sales and galleries catalogues.
The IRFA team is made up of preservation professionals, and specialists in the history of Catholic missions :
- The direction of the institute has been entrusted since its creation to Ms Marie-Alpais DUMOULIN. She is an archivist and palaeographer (Ecole nationale des Chartes) and the author of a thesis entitled Œuvrer à la propagation de la foi en Chine et à Rome, Joachim Enjobert de Martiliat (1706-1755): illustration d’une vie de missionnaire.
- The “archives and photos” department is made up of two archivists, one of whom is a specialist in databases, and an iconographer.
- The “libraries” department includes the Asian library and the MEP general library, each staffed by a librarian.
- The “digitization” department is managed by an archivist responsible for heritage digitization.
- The “art and historical objects” department is managed by a collection manager.
