Gareth Talbot, MCIfA

I joined the UHI Archaeology Institute as senior project officer in ORCA (Orkney Research Centre for Archaeology) in January 2023 from Atkins, a multi-disciplinary professional consultancy company, where I provided heritage advice on a range of heritage projects and was seconded to Transport Scotland for two years as their historic environment advisor.

I have worked on large-scale infrastructure projects including HS2; through to the preparation of heritage strategies and conservation management plans for a wide range of historic and modern sites, including World Heritage Sites in Saudi Arabia.

At ORCA I lead on environmental impact assessment and heritage strategy work.

In addition, I am an experienced sustainable event manager, having led the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee to successful certification to ISO 20121: Sustainable Event Management, and was part of the London 2012 Olympics sustainability team. I am also the volunteer sustainability manager for the Orkney 2025 International Island Games (my wife is the Games Director).

Current research

Orkney Energy Heritage Strategy: https://archaeologyorkney.com/2023/06/01/energy-heritage-strategy

Research groups and interests

• Post-Cold War heritage
• Energy heritage