Email: portico-services@ucl.ac.uk
Help Desk: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/ras/portico/helpdesk
- Associate Professor
- Institute of Archaeology Gordon Square
- Institute of Archaeology
- Faculty of S&HS
BA, MPhil, PhD
Associate Professor in South Asian Archaeology
Departmental Academic Writing Tutor
Chair of Departmental Sub-Committee for Academic Writing
Chair of Departmental Ethics Committee
Departmental Equal Opportunity Liaison Officer (DEOLO)
UCL network membership
- UCL SHS Health, Mind, Society Initiative
- Heritage & Archaeology of Health & Medicine (HAHM) initiative
- UCL Institute of Archaeology Anthropocene Research Network
- UCL Anthropocene. Member since 2021, including Chemical Exposures Group
- UCL Centre for the Study of South Asia and the Indian Ocean World
- UCL South Asia Regional Network
- UCL Environmental Group
- UCL Enable
External affiliations
- McDonald Institute For Archaeological Research, Cambridge. Research Fellow since 2015; Visiting Scholar 2012-15.
- Rachel Carson Center for Environment & Society (LMU Munich, Germany). 2014-15.
Editorial Board Membership
- Material Religion in Antiquity. Center for Ancient Mediterranean & Near Eastern Studies. Florence & Oxbow Book Series. Since 2019.
- Studies in Asian Art & Culture Series. University of Bonn / EB-Verlag Berlin. Since 2016.
- South Asian Studies (Taylor & Francis). Since 2015.
- Bloomsbury Studies in Religion, Space and Place. Since 2014.
- Archaeology & Religion Book Series (Routledge India). Since 2012.
- World Archaeology (Taylor & Francis). 2005-19. Edited special volumes on Water (2009), Religious Change (2013), Environmental Ethics (2016), Medicine & Healthcare (2018, with N. Sykes).
Current research focuses on interfaces between archaeology, ecological public health, & global climate-change activism including the history & archaeology of environmental ethics & attitudes, & the deep-time mindsets towards 'nature' that sustain both healthy & unhealthy human-animal environmental interactions in the past-present-future. Current book projects include an Archaeology of Buddhism that draws on over 10 years of research-led teaching on the MA module of the same name, & an archaeological study of religion and 'nature' in South Asia.
Research interests:
- Archaeology & art of South Asia, urbanisation & state formation, land-use & environmental control, water studies, sectarianism, landscape & survey archaeology, ritual landscapes, 'natural' places, rock-art & rock-shelter studies.
- Asian religions including Buddhism & Hinduism.
- Medico-environmental humanities & ecological public health.
- Archaeology & environmental activism.
- Anthropocene & Climate change.
- Nature reception, cultural attitudes towards 'pests' & pest-control.
Projects & grants:
- Pesticides, Urban Nature, & Ecological Public Health: A Social Study of Environmental Worldviews & Practices. (PI). 2021-current (contributions to COP26).
- Religion, 'Nature' & Environmental Ethics in Ancient India. (PI). British Academy / Leverhulme (2016-17), British Academy Mid Career Fellowship (2014-15).
- Sanchi Survey Project. PI. British Academy; British Association for South Asian Studies. 1998-current.
- Landscape, Water * Religion in Ancient India. PI. British Association for South Asian Studies. 2006-2008.
- Mapping Dams, Settlements & Monasteries in Central India. PI. British Association for South Asian Studies. 2003-2005.
Collaborations:
- Epidemics & Crisis Management in Pre-Modern South Asia ('Key Collaborator'), PI: V. Angermeier, Austrian Science Fund, FWF. 2022-26.
- One Health, Deep Time Research Network. PI: N. Sykes, Exeter. 2016-17.
- Tracking the Tiger: From Colonialism to Conservation. PI: A. Pluskowski, Reading. 2015-16.
- Ritual, Community & Conflict (SESHAT Global History Databank Initiative). PIs: P. Francois, E. Slingerland, P. Turchin, H. Whitehouse. 2013-18.
- Atman & Psyche: Cosmology & the Self in Ancient India & Ancient Greece. PIs: R. Fynes, De Montford; R. Seaford, Exeter. 2011-14.
- Relics & Relic Worship in India & Burma. PI: J. Stargardt, Cambridge. 2003-07.
- Vidisha Research Group. PI: M. Willis, British Museum. 2000-07.
On sabbatical leave from 26 Sept 2022 to 24 Sept 2023.
My teaching covers art & archaeology of South Asia, with an emphasis on complex society, religion & environment. I contribute to the MA in Archaeology & Heritage of Asia, & coordinate the Archaeology of Buddhism module, which as the first & only of its kind in the UK, acts as a cultural bridge between the diverse regional & chronological foci of the degree.
- MA Archaeology and Heritage of Asia (Degree Coordinator 2019/20; Current Contributor)
- ARCL0050 Archaeology of Early South Asia (Coordinator)
- ARCL0052 Archaeology and Art of Historic South Asia (Coordinator)
- ARCL0154 Archaeology of Buddhism (Coordinator)
- ARCL0152 Archaeologies of Asia (Contributor)
- ARCL0210 Archaeology of the Silk Roads (Contributor)
PhD Supervision:
I am happy to supervise topics on South Asian, & comparative Asian archaeology, & more broadly, on landscape & survey archaeology; water & irrigation; archaeology of ritual & religion; historical ecology; archaeology, the Anthropocene, & the medico-environmental humanities; cultural responses to climate & environmental change.
Current:
- Anna Den Hollander. Social Stratification & the Introduction of Cash Crops in South India. 2nd Supervisor (1st Supervisor. D. Fuller). 2020-.
- Mitzy Quinto Cortes, Destroyed but not lost: How to overcome an earthquake? Joint 2nd Supervisor with C. O'Grady (1st Supervisor: R. Peters). 2018-.
- Bratatee Barman (external: Berlin). Archaeological Landscapes of Brahmaputra River Valley, India. Joint 1st Supervisor with E. Kaiser (Berlin). 2018-2022.
- Ken Ishikawa (external: Oxford). Buddhist Rock-Cut Caves in Gujarat. Joint 1st Supervisor with A. Hein (Oxford). 2016-.
Previous:
- Ellie Kingwell Banham, Early Rice Agricultural Systems in India. 2nd Supervisor (1st Supervisor: D. Fuller). Completed 2015.
- Alessandro Ceccarelli, Painted Grey Ware & Late Harappan / Proto-Historic cultures in NW India. 1st Supervisor (2nd Supervisor: P. Quinn). 2015-16.
Recent & upcoming talks:
- Health Disease & Epidemics: Socio-Ecology of Medicine in Premodern South Asia (Panel Co-Chair), ECSAS conference, Torino, 26-29/7/23.
- Urban Pesticides, Chemical Exposures & Ecological Public Health, UCL Chemical Exposures Workshop. 9-11/6/22.
- Pesticides, Toxicity & Urban Nature, UCL Anthropocene, Chemical Exposures Group. 21/3/22.
- Decline of Central Indian Buddhism. Vihara Project, Kyoto. 13/11/21.
- Upland-lowland Interactions in India. Accessing Water in the South Asian City. Erfurt. 8/7/21.
2005 – 2019 | Lecturer in South Asian Archaeology | Institute of Archaeology | University College London, United Kingdom |
2002 – 2005 | Junior Research Fellow | Merton College | Oxford University, United Kingdom |
2002 – 2005 | British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow | Institute of Archaeology | Oxford University, United Kingdom |
2001 – 2002 | Visiting Research Fellow and Visiting Lecturer | Archaeology Center and Center of Buddhist Studies | Stanford University, United States |
2002 | Doctor of Philosophy | University of Cambridge | |
1997 | Master of Philosophy | University of Cambridge | |
1993 | Bachelor of Arts (Honours) | School of Oriental and African Studies |