Co-investigator for Kenya
Jane is the Director of the British Institute in Eastern Africa (BIEA) and a Senior Research Associate at the Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge. She has a PhD in African Archaeometallurgy and an MA in African Archaeology from University College London (UCL), and a BA in Ancient History and Archaeology from the University of Manchester. Her PhD explored the development of iron production technologies in pre-colonial Southern Rwanda and included an ethno-experimental iron smelt.
After completing her PhD at UCL, Jane became head of UCL Qatar’s research in Sudan. She spent several years living in Doha and spending up to six months of each year in Sudan conducting research at the Royal City of Meroe, before taking up her current position with the BIEA in 2013 and with the University of Cambridge in 2019.
I have a keen interest in the history of iron production. Whether on a small or a large scale, the technology was such a major undertaking and the products so transformative that I see it as an incredibly valuable tool for understanding big questions about past societies.
Jane has worked at the UNESCO world heritage site of the Royal City of Meroe in Sudan since 2018, where she has developed a commitment to site management and working with stakeholders to ensure site protection. She is particularly passionate about communicating with stakeholder audiences via innovative, sustainable and collaboratively developed projects, and encouraging the next generation of archaeologists.
Outside of academic life, Jane enjoys horse riding, which she has done since childhood, and spending time with friends and family.
Read more about Jane on the BIEA website and University of Cambridge website.