UCL Institute of Archaeology

24/09/2026

This week, Professor Rodney Harrison is visiting Lithuania at the invitation of the Ministry of Culture to advise on new developments in heritage valuation and management from the perspective of critical heritage studies in the context of the climate emergency.

🔗Find out more about his visit: tinyurl.com/HarrisonLithuania

UCL

20/09/2026

Introducing: Gaetano Palumbo, Honorary Associate Professor at the UCL Institute of Archaeology!

"During the past 26 years of my association with the Institute, I have had the fortune to meet some of the most brilliant archaeologists and conservation specialists in the world, and to see generation after generation of students leaving UCL to start rewarding careers. For this privilege, I will always be grateful to UCL."

We're thrilled to welcome you back, Gaetano 💜

18/09/2026

We're proud to announce that Rodney Harrison, Professor of Heritage Studies, was awarded the EAA European Association of Archaeologists 2026 Heritage Prize.

Professor Harrison said: “It is a great honour to receive this medal from the EAA and for the award committee to have highlighted my research, contributions to policy-making and public understandings of the role of heritage and museums in Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE), green energy transitions, and anti-racist initiatives in Europe. These are the most important issues of our time and will be key to the future resilience of the planet and its human and non-human occupants alike”.

Find out more about the prize: https://tinyurl.com/EEAHeritage

Photo by TAC MEDIA – Tassos Kefalas

17/09/2026

The UCL Institute of Archaeology is supporting applications for Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowships with an internal deadline of 16 October 2026 for consideration of applications.

More information at tinyurl.com/LeverhulmeUCL

16/09/2026

Dr Johanna Zetterström-Sharp, Associate Professor in Heritage Studies at the UCL Institute of Archaeology, and Dr JC Niala, Deputy Director and Head of Research, Teaching and Collections at the University of Oxford’s History of Science Museum, appear in the new BBC Ideas film: ‘Five surprising things you probably didn’t know about milk’.

Co-produced with the University of Oxford’s Social Sciences Division, the film focuses on research from the AHRC-funded project, ‘Milking It! Colonialism, heritage and everyday engagement with dairy’. Milking It! examines what milk can tell us about human evolution, industrialisation, colonialism, language, animal relationships and the future of food.

Watch the film: tinyurl.com/Milk5Things

15/09/2026

Congratulations to Dr Iain MacDonald for passing his PhD viva 🎊

Under the supervision of Professor Andrew Reynolds and Professor Mark Lake, Iain’s thesis, Archaeological Wetland Landscapes of Northwest Europe from the Roman through Medieval Periods: A Comparative Spatial Analysis, explores and compares land use patterns in the English Fens and Northern Netherlands.

🔗Read more about Iain's thesis and PhD journey in the article below

UCL

Image credits: Iain MacDonald

UCL Institute of Archaeology congratulates Dr Iain MacDonald on passing his PhD viva.

11/09/2026

Throwback to graduation this week 🎓

08/09/2026

Congratulations to everyone graduating today!

 
As graduates you have joined our enduring and impressive family. The Institute is, and will remain, your home. And we will always look forward to welcoming you back!

06/09/2026

Congratulations to Dr Archontoula Barouda for passing her PhD viva 🎊

Under the supervision of Dr Patrick Quinn, Archontoula’s thesis, 'Ceramic and Plaster Technologies and Traditions in the Neolithic Makri, Thrace, Greece', explores the technologies, materials, and production practices behind ceramics and plastered floors from Neolithic Makri in Thrace, northeastern Greece.

🔗Read more about Archontoula's thesis and PhD journey at tinyurl.com/Archontoula

04/09/2026

Detached heads, microfibre cloths and scalpels.

What do they have in common? They’re all part of the careful conservation of historic dolls.🪆

Postgraduate students from UCL’s Institute of Archaeology recently worked with historic dolls from the Museum of the Order of St John, investigating their materials, condition, and conservation needs.

Find out more about the project in the blog below!

From November 2025 to June 2026 Morven, Liz, Vicky, and Kate, four postgraduate conservation students at University College London (UCL), worked to assess and treat four dolls that had recently been acquired by the Museum. They have written about the treatment process and their experiences. In 1968,...