Academic Departments

Staff Research Interests

Our department consists of many staff with a wide range of research interests. If you're interested in applying for a research degree and want to ensure that you would be able to pursue your interests with the support of world-leading supervision, you can find the details of potential supervisors here.

Name	Research Interests
Dr Kamal Badreshany	Ceramic Analysis, Ceramic Petrography, and the Application of Materials Science in Archaeology Archaeological Science Human Interaction and Environmental Impact on Ancient Landscapes The Social and Economic Development of Early States Prehistoric Levant 3-D Digital Imaging and Printing
Dr Mary Brooks	Cultural significance of heritage and museums, conservation and conservation’s contribution to the making of meaning Material Things: Early Modern English Embroidery as Art, Social Practice and Material Culture Material Things: Innovation, Fibres and War: the Agency of Regenerated Protein Fibres Educational methodologies for teaching and learning in professional education in heritage and conservation sectors Sacred material culture, especially vestments and ecclesiastical textiles
Professor Mike Church	Environmental archaeology of the North Atlantic islands including the Western Isles of Scotland, Faroes, Iceland and Greenland Geochronological applications, specifically radiocarbon dating and tephrochronology, in the North Atlantic islands Mineral magnetic applications on archaeological and palaeoenvironmental sites Geomorphology and palaeolimnology in relation to the human / environment interaction in the North Atlantic islands Archaeobotany of Scotland and the North Atlantic islands Experimental archaeobotany
UNESCO Professor Robin Coningham	Archaeological Ethics and Practice in Cultural Heritage Later Prehistory and Early Historic archaeology of Southern Asia (from Iran to Myanmar) Urbanisation Archaeological visibility of Buddhism Caste and the development of craft specialisation Politics, identity and archaeology International cultural resource management UNESCO and World Heritage Post-disaster archaeology Post-conflict archaeology Sustainable pilgrimage Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea Trade
Dr Marta Diaz-Guardamino	Late prehistoric archaeology in western Europe (Neolithic to early Iron Age) Archaeologies of mobility (people, animals, things, knowledge) Biographical approaches to landscape, monuments, and material culture Prehistoric art in Europe Archaeological visualization (digital imaging, archaeological representation)
Dr Catherine M. Draycott	Art under the Achaemenid Empire Food and drink economy in Iron Age/Achaemenid/Classical Anatolia, or Achaemenid Empire Iconographic programmes of fourth century Lycian tombs (requires German) Iconographic programmes of Thracian painted tombs Drinking culture in Anatolia Hellenistic and Roman Lycia (requires German) Archaic and fifth century BC Crete The Eastern Mediterranean Basin’s connectivity in the Classical period
Dr Eva Fernandez-Dominguez	Human population genetics (ancient DNA and modern DNA): genetic diversity, migration, kinship Animal population genetics (ancient DNA and modern DNA): genetic diversity, migration Technical developments for ancient and forensic DNA work (sampling, extraction, genotyping)
Dr Qian Gao	The inter-relationships between the understanding, use, conservation and management of heritage and museums. The dynamics between “Eastern” and “Western” heritage expertise in international cooperation. The integration between “humanistic” and “scientific” approaches in heritage and museum studies. Social value and authenticity in heritage. Cultural heritage for inclusive growth in China and beyond. Community participation in heritage and museums. UNESCO World Heritage. Heritage tourism. Rock art and rock carvings in southwest China.
Dr Daniel Gaudio	Skeletal Trauma Analysis Forensic Anthropology Palaeopathology Taphonomy
Professor Chris Gerrard	Common rights and resources Historic earthen architecture The western Atlantic seaboard in the Middle Ages Medieval disasters and responses Historic irrigation and water Landscape archaeology Medieval artefacts Archaeological resource management Templars and Hospitallers Medieval rural settlement
Dr Rui Gomes Coelho	Historical archaeology Archaeology of the contemporary past Colonialism Decolonisation Conflict archaeology Slavery and forced labour Plantationocene African diaspora Politics of heritage Critical heritage studies Sensorial archaeology Decolonial practices Visual culture Community archaeology
Professor Rebecca Gowland	Health and demography in the Roman world The inter-relationship between the physical body and social identity Skeletal ageing and age as an aspect of social identity Care and disability in the past The infant/mother nexus in anthropology and archaeology Childhood health in the past and present Human identification in forensic contexts The history of malaria in England
Dr Pam Graves	Dunbar Scottish Soldiers Project Medieval and post-medieval urban and religious archaeology Religious architecture Religious and urban identities Window glass North-east England, Scotland and North Sea rim in the medieval and post-medieval periods Iconoclasm Archaeology of the body
Dr Derek Kennet	Islamic archaeology Arabian archaeology Sasanian archaeology Archaeology of Trade and Economy Early Historic South Asia Indian Ocean Trade Chinese Trade Ceramics Medieval South Asia
Dr Dan Lawrence	Archaeology of the Ancient Near East Landscape Archaeology GIS and Remote Sensing Urbanisation and the emergence of complex societies Long term human-environment interaction
Professor Anna Leone	Roman and Byzantine pottery Topography of Rome Archaeology in North Africa Roman, Byzantine Sicily Roman Economy Late Antique urbanism in North Africa and the near East
Professor Karen Milek	Geoarchaeology, including soil survey, archaeological soil micromorphology, geochemistry, magnetic techniques, and lipid biomarkers Early medieval period, especially the Viking Age, in: Scandinavia, the North Atlantic Region, NW Siberia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Isle of Man 19th and early 20th century in: Scotland, the North Atlantic Region, and Canada Excavation and environmental sampling methods Ground-truthing of remote sensing anomalies, including multi-spectral satellite imagery Microrefuse analysis Space syntax analysis in archaeology Human-environment-animal interactions Social archaeology of houses, farmsteads, and transhumant/nomadic pastoralist sites Migrations and invasions and relationships between incomers and indigenous peoples Impacts of culture contact on material culture, especially residential architecture and objects used in everyday life Ethnoarchaeology and ethno-historic archaeology, especially to help develop new methodologies for the interpretation of activity areas Experimental archaeology
Dr Andrew R. Millard	Bayesian statistical methods in archaeology, including dating, isotope analysis and predictive modelling Developing new approaches to Bayesian chronology building for application to any dating methods Statistics in human osteology, including age estimation Chemical and biochemical methods in archaeology Elemental and isotopic analysis of bones and teeth to investigate diet and migration, including weaning Bone diagenesis Chronology of hominid evolution
Professor Janet Montgomery	Isotopic and trace element studies of diet and residential mobility in modern and archaeological humans and animals Fundamental and developmental aspects of isotope and trace element systems in bone, teeth and the environment
Professor Paul Pettitt	Archaeology of the European Middle and Upper Palaeolithic The origins and early evolution of human visual culture; Palaeolithic art Evolutionary thanatology and early evolution of human mortuary activity Palaeolithic chronometry Neanderthal extinction and the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic Transition Middle and Upper Palaeolithic Britain
Dr David Petts	Early medieval Britain, particularly northern England and Scotland Early medieval Christianity Early medieval to contemporary maritime cultural landscape Post-medieval religion, ritual and belief 20th century archaeology
Professor Graham Philip	Archaeology of the Ancient Middle East (Syria, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq, Cyprus, Israel, Palestinian territories) from the Neolithic to the Iron Age Artefact studies, especially ceramics and metalwork Landscape archaeology, including settlement studies and remote sensing Funerary archaeology
Dr Max Price	Zooarchaeology Political Economy Animal Domestication Complex Societies Ancient Near East Human-Animal Relations
Dr Benjamin Roberts	Neolithic, Bronze Age and Early Iron Age archaeology of Britain and western Europe Origins and early development of metal Cultural connections spanning Europe, North Africa and Asia c. 5000–500 BC Archaeology, Museums and Popular Communication
Professor Sarah Semple	Religion, belief and popular practices in pre-Christian and Conversion Period Europe The archaeology of governance and power in North West Europe Death and burial in early medieval Britain Church archaeology and monasticism Material culture, memory and commemoration Landscape archaeology
Professor Robin Skeates	Cave archaeology Archaeological theory Prehistory of the central Mediterranean Material culture studies Artefact studies Visual culture Prehistoric art Museum studies Archaeological collecting Heritage studies Public archaeology Ethics Cultural representation Politics of the past Sensual culture studies
Professor Mark White	Quaternary studies Lower and Middle Palaeolithic Britain & Europe History of Palaeolithic Archaeology Palaeolithic Stone Tools
Dr Emily Williams	The conservation of waterlogged organics The impacts of portable fire extinguishers on cultural heritage African American tombstones and cemeteries Tombstone carving and production Deterioration processes in archaeological materials Disaster response and preparedness Collections management
Dr Penny Wilson	Egyptian settlement archaeology, especially in the Delta region Material culture, pottery and artefact studies Egyptian Late Period to Late Antique history and archaeology Egyptian Religious practice and hieroglyphic texts
Dr Robert Witcher	Ancient Mediterranean agriculture Ancient globalisations Archaeology of pre-Roman and Roman Italy Archaeology in historical fiction Archaeological computing Archaeological publishing Cultural heritage Geographical Information Systems Landscape archaeology - field survey, methods and theories Mediterranean archaeology Modelling techniques Roman economy Roman frontiers, especially Hadrian’s Wall Roman rural settlement Roman urbanism
Dr Ran Zhang	Social and economic development of the historical period of China Maritime activities in Medieval Eurasia Analysis methodologies, ceramic chronology, and the application of quantitative methods in archaeology Chinese archaeology Value studies in archaeology Visual culture, fine arts, and art appreciation (ceramics) Museum artefact studies