About me
I am a part time PhD in BES researching Conservation Strategies for Archaeologically Excavated Structures in the North of Scotland in a Climate Change Future. My research is looking into the manner that archaeologically excavated sites have been conserved in the past and up to the present and how this has impacted both positively and negatively on their long terms stability. It include the manner in which many of the sites have been visited since their excavation and what challenges this creates.
I work full time with Historic Environment Scotland in the Operations Directorate managing building conservation teams across the Central belt. I have worked with HES for 40 years and has quite a gap between my initial education and my Masters Degree which I did through Heriot Watt University also part time, graduating in 2014.
I decided to do a PhD as some sort of twisted test to myself but standing in front of Clickimin Broch in Lerwick one afternoon my colleagues and I were in discussion about how the site came to look the way it had and someone mentioned it should be a PhD study and turned and looked at me. I often look back and think what would have happened if I had just laughed at them....!
Undertaking the PhD on a part time basis has definitely been the challenge of a lifetime but it has also been very enlightening and has helped me gain a much wider depth of knowledge of archaeology as a whole and even more on conservation.