Project Staff

Dr Robert Carter (Professor of Arabian and Middle Eastern Archaeology) is a Professor at UCL Qatar and is a leading expert in the historical archaeology of the Gulf, the archaeology of the Gulf towns and the historic pearl fishery. His CV can be downloaded from: http://ucl.academia.edu/RobertCarter/CurriculumVitae

Daniel Eddisford (Field Director) has worked as a professional field archaeologist for over 15 years, excavating a number of important sites in the Middle East and Europe. He has extensive experience of Qatar’s heritage having overseen large scale survey and excavation projects in the country. His CV can be downloaded from: https://durham.academia.edu/DanielEddisford/CurriculumVitae

Dr Richard Fletcher (Senior Research Fellow) obtained his PhD at the University of Sydney, Australia and teaches on the Archaeology Masters programme at UCL Qatar, where he is an Honorary Research Fellow. For the Origins project he is conducting GIS analysis of Doha, using historic maps and aerial photographs to explore how its districts, streets and buildings originated and changed through time, and how they and their people fitted together into a living town. His CV can be downloaded from: https://ucl.academia.edu/RichardFletcher/CurriculumVitae

Dr Colleen Morgan (Digital Heritage Research) is conducting research regarding the mobilization of digital media for heritage in Qatar. In addition to coordinating social media outreach and digital documentation for the Origins of Doha Project, she is conducting research on augmented reality, avatars, and archaeological reconstructions as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of York. Her CV can be downloaded from:
http://berkeley.academia.edu/ColleenMorgan/CurriculumVitae

Dr Lisa Yeomans (zooarchaeologist) has worked as a field archaeologist and zooarchaeologist in the UK, Egypt, Turkey, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan. Current research focuses on the analysis of fish remains from archaeological sites around the Arabian Gulf as well as investigating shifting hunting strategies in the Late Epipalaeolithic and Early Neolithic of the Southern Levant.

Dr Bernadette McCall (Glass Artefacts Specialist) is an Honorary Research Associate based at the Centre for Near Eastern and Classical Studies of Australia (CCANESA), the University of Sydney, where she completed her PhD in the archaeology of ancient Iran. Since 1998 she has worked as a consulting archaeologist on urban historical sites in Australia, as well as research projects in Cyprus, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Greece. As a specialist in ancient and modern glass, she is studying the glass artefacts from old Doha to understand more about the lifestyles of the city’s early inhabitants. Of particular interest is to understand what glass can tell us about the impact of imported goods on personal consumption choices, and on traditional maritime markets during the pre-modern era in the Gulf.

Dr. Alan Farahani is a Postdoctoral Scholar at UCLA’s Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, and is a paleoethnobotanist and field archaeologist who specializes in the study of ancient agriculture, human-environment relationships, and the food economies of human societies in the Holocene. He has worked in Jordan, Tunisia, Iraqi Kurdistan, the Philippines, Spain and California. For the Origins of the Doha Project he is analyzing archaeological plant remains recovered from Old Doha to identify the impacts of large-scale economic shifts in the city’s history on people’s everyday food production and consumption.

Michal Michalski (Surveyor and GIS specialist) has has worked as professional archaeologist in Poland, the United Kingdom and the UAE. He is currently responsible for surveying and GIS for The Origins of Doha Project. Michal received an MA in Archaeology from the Nicolaus Copernicus University Poland in 2006 and an MSc in Geographic Information Science from the University of Edinburgh in 2012.

Cordelia Hall (Surveyor and Archaeologist) is a freelance archaeological surveyor and archaeologist. She graduated from University College London with a BA in Archaeology and an MSc in Land Surveying. She has been working in the field for over fifteen years on sites in Azerbaijan, Iceland, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey and the U.K.

David Mackie (Surveyor and Archaeologist) is a freelance archaeological surveyor and archaeologist. He graduated from Leicester University with a BA in Archaeology and an MA in Post Excavation Studies. He has been working in the field for over 25 years and has worked on sites in Libya, Turkmenistan, Romania, Egypt, Turkey, Qatar and the UK.

Tracey Cian  (Finds Officer) graduated from UCL Qatar in 2015 with an MA in Archaeology of the Arab and Islamic World. She has previously worked on excavations in Italy, Greece and Oman where she was involved in both excavation procedures and in the cataloguing and sorting of finds.

Ben Sharp (Archaeologist) studied for a BA in Archaeology at Reading and then went on to work in commercial archaeology in the UK. Working on a research project for several seasons in southern Jordan led to an interest in Middle Eastern archaeology. I have continued to work in the region, including on excavations in Abu Dhabi and Qatar.

Ruth Hatfield (Archaeologist) graduated from Reading University in 2003, and has worked as a field archaeologist in the UK, Oman, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Greece, Ukraine and Egypt.

Dr Nabeel Yahya (Translator) has been working in Qatar Museums Authority since 2008, as Head of programmes section in Islamic Art Museum and for learning & development section at QM until present. Nabeel is a Masters level student in archaeology of Arab and Islamic World at UCL Qatar.

Gizem Kahraman (Researcher on Post-Oil Occupancy of Traditional Houses) is an architect and a PhD Candidate who is working on the ongoing urban transformation of the built environment and urban life in Doha. More information on her research areas and work experience can be found at: https://iyte.academia.edu/GizemKahraman

Mariam Al-Thani (Community Outreach Officer) is currently completing her MA in Museum and Gallery Practice in UCL Qatar, and has joined the Origins of Doha and Qatar project to work on community outreach and engagement. She has a Bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, her educational background is in international relations, politics, history and culture.

Former Staff

Dr James Onley (Lead Historian) is a Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern History at the University of Exeter. He specializes in the history, heritage, culture, society, and politics of the Gulf Arab states, Iran, and India from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries, and holds a D.Phil. in Modern History from the University of Oxford. He is a founding Editor of the Journal of Arabian Studies (est. 2011) and was Director of the Centre for Gulf Studies at the University of Exeter during 2005–12.

Dr Nelida Fuccaro (Historical Advisor) is Reader in the Modern History of the Middle East at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She is an urban historian of the Middle East in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with a focus on the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Iraq and Syria, and currently working on the cultural and social history of the early oil industry in the Gulf region. She is a senior advisor to our project, particularly with regard to our research on historical urbanism.

Dr Mary Anne Murray (Archaeobotanist) is both a field archaeologist and archaeobotanist who received her M.Sc. and PhD from University College London.  She works at Al Zubarah in Qatar for University of Copenhagen and previous work as archaeologist and archaeobotanist includes projects based in Egypt, Cyprus, Senegal, Mali, Syria, Lebanon, Ecuador, Chile, Liechtenstein, England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Caribbean and the USA.  More information can be found at:
http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/mary-anne-murray/37/107/731

Tammi Moe (Leader of Oral Histories Research) Apart from her work with the Origins Project, Tammi Moe was formerly Head of Digital Collections and Archives at VCUQatar, and Lead Principal Investigator for the Qatar Unified Imaging Project (QUIP), an initiative to identify, document and make accessible Qatar’s primary source materials as a national and international prototype for digital collections. During her time with QUIP, Tammi was selected as one of Qatar Foundation’s 12 Achievers for her service to Qatar’s community.

Kirk Roberts (Archaeologist) attended the University College London and received his BA in Archaeology in 2001 and his MSc in Forensic Archaeological Science in 2002. Since then he has worked in the United Kingdom, Oman, Tanzania, Lebanon, and Turkey.

Thomas Eley (Archaeologist) graduated from Bournemouth University in 2000 and has worked as a field archaeologist archaeologist in the UK, Australia, Afghanistan and Qatar.  In 2004 Thomas received an MSc. from the University of Bradford focusing on archaeometallurgy.

Nasser Al Naama (Oral Historian) is a recent graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar. He writes articles for popular online and print publications, and produces a variety of local shows – ranging from fashion to corporate events. Nasser is a proud Qatari who hopes to leave an indelible mark on Qatar’s media landscape.

Fatima Al Dosari (Oral Historian) is a rising scholar and social entrepreneur from Qatar. Her educational background is in International Relations and Human Development. She is currently doing her Master’s in Communication, Culture and Technology at Georgetown University, DC. She is interested in travel, philanthropy, labor and women issues in Qatar. Fatima’s profile on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/fatima-al-dosari/62/911/41.

Fahad Ahmed Al Obaidly (Oral Historian) is a Qatari Oral Historian. His role is to support the study and documentation of local history in Qatar and the surrounding Gulf region using ethnographic research methods, ethical data collection, proper documentation and curatorial practices. 

Maryam Al-Shamlan (Researcher: Identity and Social history) is employed as a Research Associate at the Qatar Research Leadership Program (member of Qatar Foundation), through which she is pursuing her PhD studies in Qatari nationalism and identity formation.