I am originally from Belfast in the North of Ireland and have degrees from Trinity College Dublin (BA (Hons) in History & Ancient History / Archaeology, 1999), University of Cambridge (MPhil in Archaeological Heritage & Museum Studies, 2003) and University of Bristol (PhD in Historical Archaeology, 2008). I have also completed postdoctoral fellowships at the Pitt Rivers Museum, Oxford University (2008-9), University College Dublin (2010-12 and 2012-14; including funded by IRC) and Edinburgh University (2012). I was appointed as Professor in Radical Humanities Laboratory and Archaeology in October 2022. Previously, I was Associate Professor in Sustainable Heritage Management at Aarhus University in Denmark, 2015-2022 and maintained a fractional post as Professor in Heritage Studies until November 2024. 

My areas of interest are contemporary archaeology, especially of conflict, institutions, colonialism and gender, and various facets of critical heritage studies, especially related to difficult or 'dark' pasts. I am completing work on the Northern Irish conflict and peace process, gendered experiences of imprisonment and lived experiences of Magdalene Laundries and other gendered institutions in Ireland. I recently completed an Independent Danish Research Fund (DFF) Project 2 project 'Enduring Materialities of Colonialism' on the former Danish colonial island of St Croix (current USVI), 2019-2024 with an emphasis on underexplored postcolonial heritages.

Contact: [email protected]