ucl, research assistant 2019-2022

David began his fieldwork career in 1986 before attending Saint David’s University College to study archaeology and history. Upon graduating he started a new life as a curator documenting the prehistoric lithic and metalwork collections at Liverpool Museum. Work life led him back to university, this time at Bournemouth, where he took up archaeological project and resource management. His post-graduate diploma did nothing to dissuade him from the peripatetic lifestyle of an excavator. Then in 1997 he relocated across the pond where he was active in the AIA. By 2002 he was back in the UK excavating and directing projects in England and Ireland which led to projects in Turkmenistan, the Sudan, Turkey, Qatar, UAE, Afghanistan, St. Lucia, Lebanon but he just couldn’t stay away from university and in 2015 took an MA in the archaeology and heritage of Asia. Sparked by the archaeological record itself and his own very personal involvement working with a diversity of people, the dissertation was an opportunity to deep dive into the experiences of ordinary people as they are extant in the archaeological record and how a better grasp of their lives can provide a more humanised understanding of urban landscapes. Further inspired by Kevin Lynch and Henri Lefebvre his current research is devoted to developing a digital excavation technique which will enable archaeologists to interact with the people who once inhabited cities and to better understand their everyday lives. His lifelong passion for Two Tone, Ska, Reggae and Soul music resulted in stints as a DJ leading to the organisation and promotion of several Northern Soul all-nighters. At the IoA we are glad he has put his skills to use as founder and convener of the Central Asian Seminar Group – a symposium in its fourth year.