Research
My PhD addressed the relationship between early urbanism in Bronze Age Mesopotamia and the sunlight and climate conditions of the region. This involved an analysis of early cities and buildings in terms of passive design, urban form, orientation and sensory experience, combining both practical and symbolic uses of light. This work was published as a book in 2017, in addition to which I have published several articles and book chapters on sunlighting in ancient Near Eastern architecture.
In addition to my work on sunlight in ancient cities, my research has covered a wide range of topics related to ancient urbanism, architectural heritage and conflict archaeology. I've worked extensively on research excavations on a number of major archaeological sites in the Middle East, publishing research on the architectural results of these projects.
Research fieldwork projects:
Iraq: Tell Khaiber, Charax Spasinou. Iraq (Kurdish region): Erbil Citadel, Gurga Chiya, Qalatga Darband
Tell Brak (Syria), Ziyaret Tepe (Turkey), Sidon (Lebanon), Tell Dhiban (Jordan), Tell el-Amarna (Egypt), Kom Firin (Egypt), Amara West (Sudan)
Research grants
Building partnerships in Iraq: Documenting the endangered historic houses of Najaf.
BRITISH ACADEMY (UK)
February 2025 - March 2025
Mobilising the long-history narrative of resilient settlement in the Iraqi Marshes as a positive model for environmental and cultural endurance in the face of climate change
ARTS AND HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL
February 2026 - January 2027
Documenting the endangered reed architecture of the Iraqi marshes
OXFORD BROOKES UNIVERSITY (UK)
January 2024 - March 2026