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Professor in the Department of Archaeology+44 (0) 191 33 41153
Member of the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 

Biography

RESEARCH THEMES My key research theme is the investigation of the interaction between humans and the environment in the North Atlantic islands (including Atlantic Scottish islands, Faroes, Iceland and Greenland) through reconstructing and analyzing 1) trajectories of environmental change 2) the impact of human settlement on palaeoenvironments 3) palaeoeconomies in different island settings 4) cultural adjustments to marginality RESEARCH STUDENTS I would be pleased to supervise research post-graduate students on the interaction between humans and the environment in the North Atlantic islands (including Atlantic Scottish islands, Faroes, Iceland and Greenland) with specific reference to environmental archaeology. Please email me about potential topics. SELECTED CURRENT PROJECTS: ‘Landscapes circa landnám’. International, multi-disciplinary project investigating the human / environment interaction in the North Atlantic during the Norse period. I held a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Geography, University of Edinburgh as part of this project (2002-2005) and was an Associated Researcher (2005-2007), concentrating on environmental archaeology, geochronology, geomorphology and palaeolimnology. Leverhulme Trust (UK) funded. ‘Heart of the Atlantic: cultural landscapes of Sandoy, Faroe Islands’. Co-director of this multi-disciplinary project investigating the changing cultural and natural landscapes on the island of Sandoy, from first settlement to modern time. Archaeological investigations are focusing on the extensive excavations at Undir Junkarinsflötti and Á Sondum in the village of Sandur. Principal funding bodies: Anadarko (Faroes), Faroese Research Council (Faroes), Leverhulme Trust (UK) and National Science Foundation (US). Charcoal production in Norse and Medieval Iceland. This project is investigating charcoal production in two areas of Iceland (Mývatnsveit in north-east Iceland and the Markafljot valley in southern Iceland), to evaluate the role of charcoal production in landnám deforestation, the impact on the environment and potential management of woodland during the settlement of Iceland. The project involves archaeological survey and excavation of charcoal production pits, within a geomorphological and chronological context provided by tephrochronology and radiocarbon. Principal funding bodies: Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland (UK) and Leverhulme Trust (UK). Excavations at Brattahlið, Qassiarsuk, southern Greenland. Co-director of excavations at this internationally important site during the summers of 2005 and 2006. Principal funding bodies: Leverhulme Trust (UK) and National Science Foundation (US). ‘Uig Landscape Project’, Lewis, Western Isles (UK). Co-directed four seasons of landscape survey and excavation of four archaeological sites across the Uig Peninsula, Lewis from 1995 to 1998. Post-excavation nearing completion. Principal funding bodies: Historic Scotland (UK), University of Edinburgh (UK), Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland (UK), Uig Estate and the Gearing family (UK).

Research interests

  • 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
  • Geomorphology and palaeolimnology in relation to the human / environment interaction in the North Atlantic islands
  • Mineral magnetic applications on archaeological and palaeoenvironmental sites
  • Archaeobotany of Scotland and the North Atlantic islands
  • Experimental archaeobotany

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