Paul Ariese has been affiliated with the Reinwardt Academy since 2015 as a teacher for the international master's program Applied Museum and Heritage Studies (AMHS) and the bachelor's degree in Cultural Heritage. In addition, he regularly participates in international training activities of the Reinwardt Academy.

He previously worked as a content developer at Perspekt Studios, as an exhibition maker at the Tropenmuseum, and as a designer at Architectenbureau Jowa. Ariese studied Graphic Design at Artez School of the Arts and Architectural Design at the Rietveld Academy. He received his MA in Museum Studies with distinction from the University of Leicester.

Paul is working on a PhD research on museumized religious spaces from the Cultural Heritage lectorate program. The synagogues of the Jewish Cultural Quarter in Amsterdam are central to his research which revolves around the question of how, in a post-secular society, religious rituals, sensations and experiences are "triggered" by immersive museum spaces. Special attention is paid to how different forms of historical knowledge, including "embodied knowledge", can be incorporated into professional heritage interventions. The underlying idea is that sensitivity to this type of knowledge contributes to a more inclusive society and heritage practice.