In November 2021 I started collecting signatures for an open letter to the British Museum’s Director and Trustees, arguing the case for ending their sponsorship relationship with BP. The response was excellent – there are 302 signatories to the letter as sent in February 2022, including academics, curators, museum and heritage professionals, commercial and public sector archaeologists, and others with a connection to our field.
The letter was sent to the Director and Trustees on 14 February 2022, directly by email to individual Trustees where I could find contact details, as well as via the British Museum for circulation.
If anyone in archaeology, museums and heritage who has not yet signed the letter would like to add their name to this online version, you’re very welcome to do so – please email bm.bp.letter@gmail.com with your details as you would like them to appear, including any titles and postnominal letters, and your job title or self-description and institution, if any. Those in historical studies more widely are also welcome to sign if they have some kind of connection with archaeology, museums and heritage (e.g. curatorial work or a material culture specialism). If you’d rather leave out your job title, that’s no problem, just email me and we’ll take it from there.
The letter has been featured in ARTnews (10 November 2021), the Art Newspaper (11 November 2021) and the Museums Journal (12 November 2021).
UPDATE (20 February 2022): The letter has also been mentioned by Channel 4 News (17 February 2022) (also available directly via YouTube), Culture Unstained (17 February 2022) (and see this report for their investigations into the Museum’s negotiations to renew their relationship with BP past 2023) and Museums + Heritage Advisor (18 February 2022).
UPDATE (24 February 2022): David Wengrow and I co-wrote an opinion piece for the Observer that discusses the letter. The letter has also been mentioned in the Art Newspaper (21 February 2022), Hyperallergic (21 February 2022), the Guardian (22 February 2022) and City AM (22 February 2022). And twelve further colleagues have added their signatures to the letter, bringing the total to 314!
UPDATE (11 March 2022): More coverage at Hyperallergic (again) (22 February 2022), the European Heritage Tribune (23 February 2022) and Real Media (28 February 2022). And one more signature, bringing the total to 315!
UPDATE (14 April 2022): More media mentions at Screenshot (3 April 2022) and Hyperallergic (13 April 2022). Plus two more signatures, so the total now stands at 317.
Open letter to the Director and Trustees of the British Museum, 14 February 2022
As specialists in the human past – archaeologists, museum and heritage professionals, and students and collaborators in these fields – we have a unique understanding of the unprecedented climatic and environmental crisis now facing humanity. The scale of this crisis exceeds even that of the grievous current pandemic. Climate change threatens our security and wellbeing, will exacerbate existing global inequalities, and poses particularly catastrophic dangers to Indigenous peoples. We are deeply concerned by this situation, and believe that we must all take action in order to reduce the harm that is already being done by increasing global temperatures. We are therefore writing to urge you to end your sponsorship relationship with BP.
Rapid transition away from fossil fuels is crucial if we are to avoid the worst outcomes of the climate crisis over the coming century. This requires major economic and social changes that will affect the profitability and viability of fossil fuel companies as they exist today. Recently, some companies, including BP, have announced ambitions to become “net zero by 2050”, seeking to create the impression that they can be trusted to manage the energy transition themselves. BP continues to use sophisticated public relations techniques to manage its image and discourage scrutiny of its activities.
We believe that BP’s ongoing sponsorship of the British Museum should be seen in this light, as part of a strategy of reputational management. BP is taking advantage of the British Museum’s status as a highly respected institution, and of the public’s love of museums and heritage, to associate its brand with values of high culture, art, education, sophistication, reason, and knowledge. These values have powerful significance and appeal within our society and, crucially, among our political and civic decision-makers.
In reality, BP remains a “supermajor” oil and gas company, highly specialised in fossil fuel extraction and processing. Its low carbon energy expenditure is dwarfed by the $9 billion it is investing in fossil fuels in 2021. Multiple analyses have found that BP’s plans will not deliver “net zero” emissions by 2050. Its goals are unachievable without massive utilization of unproven carbon capture technologies and offsetting. Although many known reserves of oil and gas need to be left in the ground if global heating is to be kept within the 1.5 °C limit of the Paris Climate Agreement, the company is continuing to look for new sources to extract, and it plans to still be drilling for oil and gas in 2050. Its emissions reduction plans also entirely disregard its 20% stake in Rosneft, which accounts for roughly one third of BP’s total oil and gas production. Rosneft is embarking on a $134 billion project to drill in the Arctic, where it plans to tap an estimated 6 billion tonnes of new crude oil.
These activities are not a matter of reluctantly meeting consumer demand. BP has long been a major lobbyist for fossil fuels, successfully pushing to lift drilling restrictions, weaken support for renewables and undermine climate policy around the world. In short, BP has actively and knowingly contributed to furthering climate breakdown when we have urgently needed to work together to solve it. The damaging impacts of BP’s extractive activities on Indigenous peoples and frontline communities are well-documented. This is a company whose activities are entirely at odds with values of humanistic enquiry and education.
We are acutely aware that the UK’s museums and heritage sector has suffered greatly from cuts in financial support over the last decade and is facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the current pandemic. Many of us work closely with British Museum employees and count them as personal friends and esteemed colleagues. We know from their outstanding work that these curators and researchers deserve to be properly funded. However, we do not believe that BP offers a necessary or sustainable solution. BP’s annual contribution represents a very limited proportion of the museum’s overall income, estimated as less than 0.5%, and has been described by a former Trustee as “not unattainable elsewhere”.
The British Museum’s leadership on this issue would have far-reaching consequences. Refusing further sponsorship from BP would send a strong signal that fossil fuel corporations – like tobacco and arms companies – are no longer welcome in cultural life. By diminishing BP’s “social license to operate”, it would help to support our society’s transition away from fossil fuels. It would undermine BP’s efforts to deflect criticism of its activities through sponsorship, and demonstrate to BP that it must work yet harder to transform its business if it is to find respectability. Ending this sponsorship arrangement would also, we believe, enhance the Museum’s public image, and in particular strengthen the Museum’s ability to inspire children and young people, who are highly conscious of the threats posed by the climate crisis.
The Royal Shakespeare Company, National Galleries of Scotland, Tate, and Edinburgh International Festival have all now terminated sponsorship arrangements with BP. The National Theatre, British Film Institute, Southbank Centre, and Edinburgh Science Festival have also renounced partnerships with fossil fuel companies. The British Museum has become an outlier by continuing its association with this increasingly unwelcome brand.
However, another way is possible. The British Museum has a significant opportunity to reassert a leading role within its field by taking an important moral stance on the central challenge of this century and affirming that fossil fuel promotion has no place within our great cultural institutions. As colleagues and as friends, we respectfully ask you, the Director and Trustees of the British Museum, to do everything necessary to end the Museum’s association with BP, and to publicly commit to doing so as soon as possible.
All signatories are participating in a personal capacity.
Morten Aass Authen, Masters student (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo
Professor Umberto Albarella, Professor of Zooarchaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Dr Moudhy Al-Rashid, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Wolfson College, University of Oxford
Dr Tero Alstola, Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre of Excellence in Ancient Near Eastern Empires, University of Helsinki, Finland
Dr Veronica Aniceti, Postdoctoral Fellow in Zooarchaeology, Department of Natural History, University Museum, University of Bergen, Norway
Dr Astolfo G. M. Araujo, Associate Professor, Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Association Archéo-Éthique, for support and valorization of research on ethics in archaeology, France
Justin Ayres, Field Technician, Wessex Archaeology
Dr Greg Bailey FRAI, Independent researcher in Media and Archaeology
Professor Jen Baird FSA, Professor of Archaeology, Department of History, Classics and Archaeology, Birkbeck College, University of London
Professor Jennifer Bates, Assistant Professor of Archaeological Science, Department of Archaeology and Art History, Seoul National University
Dr Olaf Bayer, Research Associate in Landscape Archaeology, Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford
Dr Lorena Becerra-Valdivia, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Line Bech Pedersen, Project manager, Exhibition department, KØN – Gender Museum Denmark, Aarhus, Denmark
Dr Ellen H. Belcher, Associate Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY, New York City, USA
Taryn Bell, PhD candidate, Department of Archaeology, University of York
Helene Benkert, PhD candidate, Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter
Dr Ellie Bennett, Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre of Excellence in Ancient Near Eastern Empires, University of Helsinki, Finland
Dr Silje Evjenth Bentsen, Project manager, Nordland County Council, Norway; Honorary Research Fellow, School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Paloma Berggren, archaeologist, Sweden
Professor Reinhard Bernbeck, Institute of Near Eastern Archaeology, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany
Anne Bevan RSA (Elect), Curriculum Leader in Art and Design, Orkney College, University of the Highlands and Islands
Dr Samantha Blickhan, Humanities Research Lead & Co-Director of Zooniverse at The Adler Planetarium, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Dr James Blinkhorn, Fieldwork Director, Pan-African Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany; Centre for Quaternary Research, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London
Dr Anna Bloxam, Assistant Professor in Archaeology, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Nottingham
Solène Boisard, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Anthropology, University of Montreal, Canada
Wouter Bonhof, PhD candidate, Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter
James Bonnor BSc MCIfA, Senior Archaeological Consultant, Prospect Archaeology Ltd
Professor Will Bowden FSA, Professor of Roman Archaeology, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Nottingham
Dr Philip Boyes, Research Associate, Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge
Tristan J. Boyle, Digital Public Archaeologist, Co-founder of the Archaeology Podcast Network, Scotland
Dr Rebecca Bradshaw, Assistant Professor, Department of Tourism and Heritage, UAEU, United Arab Emirates
Dr Mike Brass, Honorary Research Fellow, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Dr Emma Brownlee, Research Fellow in Archaeology, Girton College, University of Cambridge
Dr Mirjam Brusius, Research Fellow in Colonial and Global History, GHI London; Project Facilitator, 100 Histories of 100 Worlds in 1 Object
Professor Spike Bucklow, Professor of Material Culture, Hamilton Kerr Institute, University of Cambridge
Hannah Bullmore, PhD candidate, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Dr Alexis C Bunten, Co-Director, Indigeneity Program, Bioneers, USA
Timothy Canessa, MPhil Archaeology (2019), University of Cambridge
Dr John Carman, Hon. Associate Professor, School of History & Cultures, University of Birmingham
Dr Gilly Carr FSA FRHistS, Associate Professor in Archaeology, University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education
Dr Ben Chan, Research Fellow, Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton
Malcolm Chapman, Head of Collections Management, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow
Jean-Michel Chazine, Honorary CNRS Research Engineer, Maison Asie-Pacifique, Aix-Marseille University, France
Dr Helen Chittock ACIfA, Independent researcher, London; former British Museum Collaborative Doctoral Award student
Dr David Chivall, ORAU Laboratory Manager, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Dr Wei Chu, Senior Researcher, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Netherlands
Dr James Cole FRAI, Principal Lecturer in Archaeology, School of Applied Sciences, University of Brighton
Dr Anna Collar, Lecturer in Roman Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton
Professor John Collis FSA FSAScot MIfA, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Ben Copsey MA MSc, Senior Project Officer, Widening Participation Outreach, City University of London
Dr Lizzy Craig-Atkins, Senior Lecturer in Human Osteology, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Dr Rachel Crellin FSAScot, Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester
Dr Enrico Crema, Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge
Dr Chris Cumberpatch, freelance archaeologist, Sheffield
Dr Emma Cunliffe, Research Associate with the UNESCO Chair in Cultural Property Protection and Peace, and Co-Director MLitt in Cultural Property Protection, School of Arts and Cultures, Newcastle University
Deanna K. Cunningham, MSc student (Archaeology), School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Dr Hannah Cutler, Archaeological Officer, Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service
Subhadra Das, writer and historian, London
Professor Iain Davidson, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, University of New England, Armidale, Australia
Dr Beatrijs de Groot, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh
Ids de Klerk, BA student (Archaeology), Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Netherlands
Dr Flint Dibble, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research Fellow, School of History, Archaeology, and Religion, Cardiff University
Dr Paola Di Giuseppantonio Di Franco, Lecturer in Heritage and Digital Humanities, School of Philosophy and Art History & Interdisciplinary Studies Centre, University of Essex
Felipe Do Nascimento Rodrigues, PhD candidate, Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter
Dr Olivia Durand, Postdoctoral Associate, Centre for Global History, University of Oxford; Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Friedrich Meinecke Institute of History, Freie Universitat Berlin, Germany; Company Director, Uncomfortable Oxford; Lecturer in Museum Studies, Stanford University Overseas Study Program
Dr Gerrit Dusseldorp, Researcher in Pleistocene Archaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Netherlands
Dr Michaela Ecker, Emmy Noether Junior Research Group Leader, Institute of Pre- and Protohistoric Archaeology, Kiel University, Germany
Professor Bonnie Effros FRHistS, Head of History and Professor, Department of History, University of British Columbia, Canada
Dr Benjamin Elliott, Lecturer in Archaeology, Archaeology Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands
Jesper Ericsson, Curator of Numismatics, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow
Dr Adrian A. Evans, Lecturer in Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Bradford
Dr Rebecca Farbstein, independent researcher in Palaeolithic art and archaeology, London
Naomi Field BA Hons MCIfA, Senior Archaeological Consultant, Prospect Archaeology Ltd
Seán Finlay-Scott, Project Assistant, Network Archaeology
Dr Alex Fitzpatrick FSAScot, Researcher, University of Bradford
Dr Rebecca Flemming, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History, Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge
Ruth Fletcher, Education Manager, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow
Dr Jennifer French, Lecturer in Palaeolithic Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool
Dr Catherine J. Frieman, Associate Professor of European Archaeology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Dr Jonathan Gardner, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow, School of Art, Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh
Dr Alison Gascoigne, Associate Professor of Archaeology, University of Southampton
Professor Haidy Geismar, Professor of Anthropology; Director, School of Creative and Cultural Industries; Director, Centre for Digital Anthropology; Curator, Ethnography Collections. Department of Anthropology, University College London
Joshua Giles, Administration Assistant, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge; formerly Assistant Collections Manager, Ancient Egypt and Sudan and Asia Departments, British Museum
Dr Christina Giovas, Assistant Professor of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Professor Joakim Goldhahn, Rock Art Australia Ian Potter Kimberley Chair, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Karen Goodlett, MArc student (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton
Dr Karl Goodwin, Associate Lecturer, Department of Archaeology, Canterbury Christ Church University
Jade Graham, Programme Manager, Kelvin Hall, Glasgow
Dr Janna Graham, Lecturer in Visual Cultures and Programme Leader, BA Curating, Goldsmiths, University of London
Professor Shawn Graham, Professor of Digital Humanities, Department of History, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Elliot Grater MLitt, Project Archaeology and Heritage Consultant
Dr Idoia Grau Sologestoa, Postdoctoral Researcher, Integrative Prehistory and Archeological Science, University of Basel, Switzerland; Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Susan Greaney BA MSc FSA, Senior Properties Historian, English Heritage
Dr Chris Green, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Maura Griffith, PhD candidate (Archaeological Science), UCL Institute of Archaeology
Alex Grindley, MA Museum Studies (2021), University of Leicester
Dr Gavin Grindon, Senior Lecturer in Art History and Curating, Department of Philosophy and Art History, University of Essex
Nicholas Groat, PhD candidate, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Dr Angelos Hadjikoumis, Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Dr Susanne Hakenbeck FSA, Associate Professor of Historical Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge
Ms Ruth Halliwell, MSc Applied Landscape (2021), University of Oxford; Independent researcher in Archaeology; Member, British Museum
Professor Paul Halstead, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Susan Hamilton ACIfA, archaeologist, Edinburgh
Dr Emily Hanscam, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Cultural Sciences, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden; Honorary Research Fellow in Archaeology, University of Durham
Dr Barney Harris, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Dr Claire Harris, Senior Community Archaeologist – Schools and Young People, Museum of London Archaeology
Eleanor Harrison, PhD candidate (Archaeology), School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Newcastle University
Professor Rodney Harrison, Professor of Heritage Studies, UCL Institute of Archaeology, University College London; project co-lead on Reimagining Museums for Climate Action
Vicky Harrison, Event Manager, Adult Programmes, Learning and National Partnerships, British Museum
Dr David C. Harvey, Associate Professor of Heritage Studies, Leader: Materials, Culture and Heritage Research Programme, Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark; Honorary Professor of Historical Cultural Geography, Department of Geography, University of Exeter
Jane Henderson MSc FIIC ACR SFHEA, Professor of Conservation, School of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University
Professor Andy I.R. Herries, Professor of Palaeoanthropology and Head of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
Corey Herrmann MA MPhil, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Anthropology, Yale University, USA
Professor Tom Higham, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Austria
Professor Dan Hicks FSA, Professor of Contemporary Archaeology, School of Archaeology and Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford
Liberty Hinze, BA student (Archaeology and Anthropology), University of Oxford
Percy Hei Chun Ho, PhD candidate, Department of Archaeogenetics, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
Dr Emily Holt, Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow, School of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University
Meredith Hood, PhD Candidate (Archaeology), School of History, Archaeology and Religion, Cardiff University and Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales
Yasha Hourani, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Dr Phil Hughes, Finds Recording Officer, Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service
Nicholas Hummelvoll, BA student (Kulturarv og bevaringskunnskap), Department of Archaeology, Conservation and History, University of Oslo, Norway
Ruth Humphreys, Senior Heritage Consultant, Arup (UKIEMA); former British Museum Collaborative Doctoral Award student
Dr Andy Hutcheson FSA MCIfA, Research Fellow, Centre for Archaeology and Heritage, Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Culture, UEA
Amy Jefford Franks, historian of Viking religion & public educator, London
Dr Niels N. Johannsen, Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark
Dr Robert Johnston, Senior Lecturer in Landscape Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Dylan Jones, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, Classics, and Egyptology, University of Liverpool
Professor Glynis Jones FBA, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Jenny Jones, Baroness Jones of Moulescoomb; formerly professional archaeologist (1991-1999)
Dr Rick Jones FSA, retired Senior Lecturer in Classics, University of Leeds
Sophie Jorgensen-Rideout, PhD candidate, MONREPOS Archaeological Research Centre and Museum for Human Behavioural Evolution RGZM, Neuwied, Germany
Dr Jody Joy, Senior Curator (Archaeology), Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge; formerly Curator (2006-2014) of European Iron Age Collections, British Museum
Professor Lisa Kealhofer, Professor, Anthropology and Environmental Studies and Sciences, Santa Clara University, California, USA
Olivia Keegan Carr, MSci Student (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton
Dr Alexandra Kelly, Associate Professor of History & Anthropology, and Director, Anthropology Museum, University of Wyoming, USA
Lisa Kerrigan, Senior Curator of Television, BFI National Archive
Dr Rachael Kiddey FSA, British Academy Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Niġel Klemenčič-Puglisevich, Curatorial Assistant, Museum of Classical Antiquities, Ottawa, Canada; BA Hons. student (History and Greek & Roman Studies), Department of History and College of the Humanities, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
Professor Christopher J. Knüsel, Professor of Biological Anthropology, UMR 5199 PACEA, University of Bordeaux, France
Dr Ania Kotarba-Morley, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
Julia Kotthaus, DPhil candidate (Archaeology), School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Panos Kratimenos, PhD candidate (Archaeology), UCL Institute of Archaeology
Dr Nadia Maria Kristensen, Curator, Department of Ancient Cultures of Denmark and the Mediterranean, National Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
Dr Véronique Laroulandie, CNRS Research Fellow, UMR 5199 PACEA, University of Bordeaux, France
Anton Larsson, PhD candidate, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Sweden
Professor Mary Laven, Professor of Early Modern History, Faculty of History, and Syndic of the Fitzwilliam Museum, University of Cambridge
Ed Lawless, Digital Learning Manager, British Museum
Arthur Lazarus, Field Assistant, Cornwall Archaeology Unit
Dr Jim Leary, Lecturer in Field Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of York
Dr Morgan Lemmer-Webber, independent researcher in art and archaeology of the ancient world, director of FOSS and Crafts Studios LLC, Easthampton, MA, USA
Dr Ash Lenton MCIfA, Senior Lecturer, School of Archaeology & Anthropology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Dr Matt Lodder, Senior Lecturer in Art History and Director of Interdisciplinary Studies, University of Essex
Cat Lodge, Senior Archaeologist, North Somerset Council
Dr Emma Loftus, Postdoctoral Researcher (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship), Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany
Dr Diego López Onaindia, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, UMR 5199 PACEA, University of Bordeaux, France
Ingvild Østbø Lunde, MA student (Cultural Heritage Studies), UCL Institute of Archaeology
Ms Fiona Macalister FMA FIIC ACR FSAScot, Independent Consultant Conservator
Dr Janet C. MacDonald FSAScot AHEA, Visitor Experience Assistant, Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, University of Glasgow
Dr Katharine MacDonald, Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Archaeology, University of Leiden, Netherlands
Dr Tess Machling, independent researcher in archaeology, St Albans
Dr Richard Madgwick FSA, Senior Lecturer in Archaeological Science, Cardiff University
Dr Sarah Mallet, Research Facilitator, Social Science division, University of Oxford
Bodil Bay Malmose, MA Hons. student (Archaeology), University of Glasgow
Professor Ben Marwick, Professor of Archaeology, Department of Anthropology, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
Rowan May, Project Manager, York Archaeology
Dr Sarah May, Senior Lecturer in Public History and Heritage, Swansea University
Dr Matasha Mazis, Research Associate, Department of Classical Archaeology, Technical University Darmstadt, Germany
Dr Laura McAtackney, Associate Professor in Sustainable Heritage Management, Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark
Dr Kate McGrath, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, SUNY Oneonta, New York State, USA
Bridget McKenzie, Director, Climate Museum UK
J. Anne Melton, PhD candidate, Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, USA
Dr Matthew Meredith-Williams, Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia; Honorary Research Associate, Department of Archaeology, University of York
Colin Merrony, Field Officer, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Ofelia Meza-Escobar, PhD candidate, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Elias Michaut, MPhil student (Archaeological Research), Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge
Dr Annemieke Milks, Research Scientist, Lower Saxony State office for Heritage (Hannover, Germany); Honorary Research Fellow, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Dr Andy Mills, Curator for Archaeology & World Cultures, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow
Brodhie Molloy PCIfA, Research MA student (Heritage, Memory and Archaeology), University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Lucy Moore, Projects Curator, Leeds Museums & Galleries; PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, University of York
Professor John Moreland, Professor of Historical Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Dr Colleen Morgan, Lecturer in Digital Archaeology and Heritage, Department of Archaeology, University of York
Prof Renaud Morieux, Professor of British and European History, Faculty of History, University of Cambridge
Dr Mike W Morley, Associate Professor of Archaeological Science, Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
Dr Elaine Morris FSA MCIfA, Visiting Fellow – Archaeology, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Southampton
Professor Stephanie Moser, Professor of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton
Dr Gabriel Moshenska, Associate Professor in Public Archaeology, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Alexis Mosley, field archaeologist
Hazel Mosley, PhD candidate, Archaeology and Palaeoecology, Queen’s University Belfast
Dr Alexander Nagel, Assistant Professor, Ancient Near Eastern and Classical Art, FIT, New York City, USA
Dr Joshua Nall FRAS, Curator of Modern Sciences, Whipple Museum of the History of Science, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge
Ayushi Nayak, doctoral researcher, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
Dr Richard Nevell, Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter
Dr Cassie Newland, Senior Lecturer in Heritage and Public History, Department of History, Heritage and Public History, Bath Spa University
Dr Luíseach Nic Eoin, Senior Editor, Nature Ecology & Evolution
Laurent Nieblas Ramirez, PhD candidate (History, Art History and Archaeology), Center of Cultural Anthropology, Université Libre de Bruxelles & Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium
Dr Nicolas Nikis, Postdoctoral Researcher, Centre de Recherche en Archéologie et Patrimoine, Université libre de Bruxelles & Heritage Studies Unit, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium
Dr Courtney Nimura FSA, Researcher, Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Stefan North-Sagrott ACIfA, archaeologist, Edinburgh
Dr Blanca Ochoa Fraile, Research fellow, Department of Geography, Prehistory and Archaeology, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU); Honorary Fellow, Department of Archaeology, University of Durham
Dr Jeff Oliver, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen
Lizzie O’Neill, Digital Collections Manager, The Hunterian, University of Glasgow
Dr Rebecca O’Sullivan, Humboldt Research Fellow in Archaeology, Department for Pre- and Early Historical Archaeology, University of Bonn, Germany
Adrián Oyaneder Rodríguez, PhD Candidate (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter
Jonathan Paige, Project Archaeologist and Research Scientist, Center for Archaeological Research, University of Texas, San Antonio, USA
Dr Jennifer Peacock, independent researcher in archaeology, Cambridgeshire
Professor Michael Petraglia, Professor of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
Dr Cameron Petrie, Reader in South Asian and Iranian Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge
Dr David Petts, Associate Professor, Department of Archaeology, University of Durham
Dr Edward Peveler, Archaeology Officer, Berkshire Archaeology
Dr Stephanie Piper, Associate Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of York
Tracy Platts, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Dr Matthew Pope, Principal Research Fellow, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Shalen Prado, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
Alice Procter, art historian and writer, Uncomfortable Art Tours
Akacia Propst, PhD Candidate (Bioarchaeology), Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
Dr Alexander Pryor, Lecturer in Prehistoric Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter
Dr Clare Rainsford, freelance zooarchaeologist, York
Dr Ulla Rajala, Researcher, Department of Archaeology and Classical Studies, Stockholm University, Sweden
Dr Patrick Randolph-Quinney, Associate Professor of Forensic Science (Anthropology and Archaeology), Department of Applied Sciences, Northumbria University; Honorary Research Fellow, Centre for the Exploration of the Deep Human Journey, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Paul Redish, field archaeologist, Cornwall
Lawrence Rees, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, University of Reading
Dr Nicky Reeves, Curator of Scientific & Medical History Collections, The Hunterian Museum & Art Gallery, University of Glasgow
Maggie Reilly, Hunterian Honorary Research Fellow (formerly curator of Zoology), The Hunterian, University of Glasgow
Dr Arturo Rey da Silva, Honor Frost Scholar in Marine Cultural Heritage, School of History, Classics & Archaeology, University of Edinburgh
Dr Natasha Reynolds, Honorary Researcher, UMR 5199 PACEA, University of Bordeaux, France
Dr Lorna-Jane Richardson, Lecturer in Digital Humanities & Heritage, School of Art, Media & American Studies, University of East Anglia
Professor Felix Riede FSAScot, Professor of Prehistoric Archaeology, Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies | Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World | iClimate, Aarhus University, Denmark; Visiting Professor, Oslo School of Environmental Humanities, Oslo University, Norway
Professor Julien Riel-Salvatore, Full Professor of Archaeology, Département d’anthropologie et Laboratoire d’Archéologie de l’Anthropocène, Université de Montréal, Canada
Dr Mauro Rizzetto, Research Associate, American School of Classical Studies at Athens, Greece
Professor Gwen Robbins Schug, Professor of Anthropology, University of North Carolina Greensboro and Appalachian State University, USA
Eilidh Roberts, BA student (Archaeology and Anthropology), University of Oxford
Dr Kathryn Roberts Parker, Marie Sklodowksa-Curie Fellow in vernacular music history, International Centre for Music Studies, Newcastle University
Dr Andrew Roddick, Associate Professor of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
Ismael Rodríguez Palomo, PhD candidate (Archaeology), McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge
Dr Iza Romanowska, Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark
Steve Roskams, Senior Lecturer, Department of Archaeology, University of York
Dr Joanne Rowland FSAScot, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh
Dr Fabio Saccoccio, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Nottingham
Daniel Salinas Córdova MA, Independent public historian and archaeologist, Koblenz, Germany
Dr Lenny Salvagno, Postdoctoral Researcher (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship), Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany; Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Professor Richard Sandell, Professor of Museum Studies, Research Centre for Museums and Galleries, School of Museum Studies, University of Leicester
Özlem Sarıtaş, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool
Adam Savat, Concentrator (undergraduate student) in Classical Archaeology at the Joukowsky Institute, Brown University, USA
Professor Eleanor Scerri FRAI, Pan African Evolution Research Group, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Jena, Germany
Christopher Scott, PhD candidate, Department for Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool
Professor Simon Schaffer FBA, Professor of History of Science, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge
Dr ir Fulco Scherjon, Postdoctoral Researcher, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Netherlands
Miranda Schiller, Public Programmes Executive, London Transport Museum
Professor Peter R. Schmidt, Emeritus Prof. of Anthropology, University of Florida, USA; Extraordinary Professor of Archaeology, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Dr Jean-Luc Schwenninger, Head of the Luminescence Dating Laboratory, Research Laboratory for Archaeology & the History of Art, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Rebecca Scott, PhD candidate and Geoarchaeology technician, Department of Archaeology, University of Reading
Dr David Seddon, MA Cantab (Archaeology and Anthropology), former Professor of Development Studies, University of East Anglia
Dr Oula Seitsonen, Researcher, Lidark Project, University of Oulu, Finland
Dr Geoff M. Smith, Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Human Evolution Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
Dr Pamela Smith, Senior Research Fellow in Archaeology, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Science, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia
Prof. dr. Marie Soressi, Professor of Hominin Diversity Archaeology, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Netherlands
Dr Kirsty Elizabeth Squires ACIfA MCSFS SFHEA, Associate Professor of Bioarchaeology, Department of Society, Crime and Environment, Staffordshire University
Dr Richard Staff, Research Fellow, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, University of Glasgow
Craig Stanford ACIfA FSAScot, Archaeology and World Heritage Officer, Historic Environment Scotland
Dr Colin Sterling, Assistant Professor of Memory and Museums and project co-lead on Reimagining Museums for Climate Action, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Dr Alice Stevenson, Associate Professor of Museum Studies, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Dr Dan Stewart FSA, Lecturer in Ancient History, School of Archaeology and Ancient History, University of Leicester
Hanna Steyne, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology and Egyptology, University of Manchester
Professor Marie Louise Stig Sorensen, Professor of Prehistoric Europe and Heritage Studies, Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge
Dr Jo Stoner, Honorary Research Fellow in Late Antique Archaeology, Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, University of Kent
Dr Amy Styring, Associate Professor of Archaeological Science, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Christian Svejgård Lunde Jørgensen, PhD candidate, Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Denmark
Professor Ellen Swift FSA, Professor of Roman Archaeology, Department of Classical & Archaeological Studies, University of Kent
Professor Naomi Sykes, Lawrence Professor of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Exeter
Dr Letty Ten Harkel, Postdoctoral Researcher, School of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Dr Antonia Thomas, Lecturer in Archaeology and Programme Leader MA Contemporary Art and Archaeology, Archaeology Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands
Elizabeth Thomas, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool
Dr Jess Thompson, Research Associate, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge
Lucy Timbrell, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, the University of Liverpool
Dr Paul Tourle, Senior Consultant, Barker Langham
Dr Olivier Touzé, Postdoctoral Researcher, F.R.S.-FNRS & TraceoLab, University of Liege, Belgium
Christina Tubb, Events Manager, Adult Programmes, Learning and National Partnerships, The British Museum
Dr Joana Valdez-Tullett FSAScot, Postdoctoral Researcher, Historic Environment Scotland
Zoë van Litsenburg, Research MA student (Archaeology), Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Netherlands
Dr Loes Veldpaus, Lecturer in Architecture and Urban Planning, Co-Investigator OpenHeritage project, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University
Dr Isabelle Vella Gregory, Deputy Director, The Jebel Moya Project, Sudan; Affiliate Scholar, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge
Emma Veste, BA student (History and Archaeology), University of Liverpool
Dr Jen Walklate, Lecturer and Curatorial Fellow in Museum Studies, Department of Anthropology, University of Aberdeen
Dr Chloë Ward, Project Curator: Archaeological Assemblages, British Museum; Trustee, Friends of the Petrie Museum
Professor Graeme Warren, UCD School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, Ireland
Mr Tegid Watkin, Teaching Technician and Demonstrator in Human Osteology; PhD candidate. Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Professor David Wengrow, Professor of Comparative Archaeology, UCL Institute of Archaeology
Katy Whitaker FSA, archaeologist, Wiltshire
Alex Whitehead, BSc student (Evolutionary Anthropology), Department of Archaeology, University of Liverpool
Dr Helen Wickstead MCIfA FHEA, Senior Lecturer and Course Leader in Museum and Gallery Studies, Kingston University
Dr Hannah Willey, Lecturer in Ancient History, Faculty of Classics, University of Cambridge
Dr Ellie Williams, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, Canterbury Christ Church University
Andrew Wilson, Archaeological Collections Registrar, School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, University of Sydney, Australia
Catriona Wilson, Head of the Petrie Egyptian and Sudanese Archaeology Collection, UCL
Benjamin Wimmer, PhD candidate, Department of Archaeology, University of Sheffield
Dr Nick Winterbotham FMA FASDC, Director of BTC, Leader of the Museum Network for Resilience in Wales & Vice President of the RNLI, Gwynedd
Izzy Wisher, PhD candidate (Archaeology), Department of Archaeology, University of Durham
Dr Rebecca Wragg Sykes, Honorary Fellow, School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology, University of Liverpool
Dr Lizzie Wright, Research Fellow in Archaeozoology, Department of Classics and Archaeology, University of Nottingham
Dr Sonia Zakrzewski FSA, Associate Professor of Archaeology, Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton
Appended (last updated 14 April 2022):
Dr Ollie Douglas, Curator of MERL Collections, Museum of English Rural Life, University of Reading
Helen Gray, BA Archeological Studies (Yale), MPhil Archaeology (Cantab); British Museum member
Kyle Lewis Jordan, MA student (Archaeology and Heritage of Egypt and the Middle East), UCL Institute of Archaeology, and British Museum Friends Advisory Council Member
Dr Thomas Kador, Lecturer in Creative Health, UCL; Co-editor Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage
Mike Kelly, PhD candidate, SEAHA (Science and Engineering in Arts, Heritage and Archaeology), University of Brighton
Professor Sophia Labadi, Professor of Heritage, Classical and Archaeological Studies Department, University of Kent
Dr Hélène Maloigne, Associate Lecturer, Department of History, UCL
Dr Lesley McFadyen FSA, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology, Department of History, Classics and Archaeology, Birkbeck, University of London
Dr Thembi Mutch, PI Hidden Histories: Untold Stories of Land and Sea
Lucie Pardue, Curator, University of the Arts London; student (Socially Engaged Practice in Museums and Galleries), University of Leicester
Natalie Perritano, MA student (Cultural Heritage Studies), UCL Institute of Archaeology
Dr Daniel G. Prior, Associate Professor, Department of History and Museums Center, Miami University, USA
Dr Vivian Scheinsohn, Full Professor, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Researcher at CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas)/INAPL (instituto Nacional de Antropología ), Argentina
Dr Patrizia von Eles Masi, Former Director for Prehistoric Archaeology, Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici dell’Emilia Romagna Ministero per i Beni Culturali, Italy
Holly Williams, MSc student (Palaeoanthropology and Palaeolithic Archaeology), UCL Institute of Archaeology