Projects per year
Organisation profile
Organisation profile
The Institute is unique within Scotland, in that it combines teaching, academic research, and commercial applied research and consultancy. The commercial arm of the institute, ORCA and ORCA Marine, provide professional archaeological and heritage services to Northern Scotland - providing everything from archaeological excavations and evaluations, through to heritage consultancy services, marine archaeological investigations and geophysical survey. This unique partnership sees the Institute’s academic staff working alongside the ORCA and ORCA Marine staff with regards to teaching and research, providing our students with an unparalleled experience of practical and applied archaeology, as well as facilitating world class archaeological research in both Northern Scotland and the wider world.
The Highlands and Islands has particularly rich and diverse archaeological heritage - from Neolithic stone-built settlements, tombs and stone circles, to Iron Age brochs, Pictish and Viking settlements and burials, historical archaeology such as the clearances to remains from the First and Second World Wars - situated in landscapes which are distinctive and often fragile.
However, although the Institute carries out internationally significant research within the Highlands and Islands region, we also work much farther afield – with current research projects ongoing in Easter Island, Nepal and Tanzania.
UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Our work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 2 Zero Hunger -
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 4 Quality Education -
SDG 7 Affordable and Clean Energy -
SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water -
SDG 15 Life on Land -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions -
SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals
Fingerprint
Dive into the research topics where Archaeology Institute is active. These topic labels come from the works of this organisation's members. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
Collaborations from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
Profiles
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Nick Card
- UHI Orkney - Senior Projects Manager Ness of Brodgar
- Archaeology Institute
Person: Academic - Research and Teaching or Research only
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Martin Carruthers
- UHI Orkney - Lecturer in Archaeology
- Archaeology Institute
Person: Academic - Research and Teaching or Research only, Academic Support
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The Many Lives of Cardboard
Thomas, A. (CoI), Razzall, L. (PI) & Boast, H. (CoI)
1/02/26 → 31/05/27
Project: Research
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TRANSECTS: TRANSitions In Energy For Coastal Communities Over Time And Space (TRANSECTS)
Thomas, A. (CoI), Harland, J. (CoI), Bevan, A. (CoI) & Lee, D. (Researcher)
1/04/24 → 31/03/28
Project: Research
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Development of an interdisciplinary conceptual framework to understand marine energy transitions in North Sea coastal communities
Gormley, K., Burdon , D., Atkinson, D., Bevan, A., Harland, J., Jaeger, S., Kerr, S. A., Lee, D., McCarron, A., McGrane, S., McWhinnie, L., Potts, T., Shapovalova, D., Sheehy, J., Thomas, A. & Alexander, K., 18 Feb 2026, In: Renewable and Sustainable Energy Transition. 100143.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile5 Downloads (Pure) -
He fared to Caithness, and was there worthily received of all: Visualising the Impact of the Cult of St Magnus in Caithness
Gibbon, S. J. & Moore, J., 2026, The Apardjón Journal for Scandinavian Studies . Aberdeen, Vol. 4: Connections and the Church in Late Norse Scotland. p. 17-50 35 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Open Access -
Standard and guidance for forensic archaeologists
Miller, J. & Vannan, A., 28 Feb 2026, 2 ed. 32 p.Research output: Book/Report › Other report
Open Access
Activities
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Looking In From The Edge (LIFTE): Traders and Produce in early modern Orkney
Harland, J. (Speaker) & Gibbon, S. J. (Speaker)
30 Jan 2026Activity: Talk / Presentation / Podcast / Webinar › Oral presentation
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An archaeology of Christianity in medieval Orkney
Gibbon, S. J. (Speaker)
28 May 2026Activity: Talk / Presentation / Podcast / Webinar › Invited talk
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The Institute of Making, University College London
Thomas, A. (Visiting researcher)
7 May 2026Activity: Visiting an external institution › Visiting an external academic institution
Student theses
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Developing a trait-based approach to understand Sphagna responses to hydrological stress in the Flow Country
Thompson, C. J. (Author), Andersen, R. (Supervisor) & Thomas, A. (Supervisor), 23 Feb 2026Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy (awarded by UHI)
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Farming and feasting in Iron Age Orkney: a comparison of livestock farming practices and dietary traditions at The Cairns, Mine Howe, Pool, and Howe, based on mortality profiles analyses of cattle, sheep/goat, and pig mandibles.
Bourgault, K. (Author), Mainland, I. (Supervisor) & Carruthers, M. (Supervisor), 31 Mar 2025Student thesis: Master's Thesis › Master of Research (awarded by UHI)
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Coarse Stone Tools from the Ness of Brodgar: Investigating the Function and Significance of Orcadian Neolithic Multi-Hollowed Cobbles
Lloyd, G. (Author), Downes, J. (Supervisor), 28 Mar 2024Student thesis: Master's Thesis › Master of Research (awarded by UHI)
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