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Helen Farr is a maritime archaeologist focusing on prehistoric submerged landscapes and early seafaring. She completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge studying Mediterranean obsidian circulation and maritime travel during the Neolithic period. This research led to a post-doctoral position at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge. Over time, she developed her interest in prehistoric submerged landscapes, leading a project in Calabria, southern Italy. In 2009, Helen was awarded a Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship that enabled her to work at the University of Southampton, studying prehistoric submerged landscapes in the Solent and the dynamic relationship between people and changing environments due to rising sea levels during the Holocene. This fellowship paved the way for her inter-disciplinary Lectureship at the newly formed Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute, where she has developed extensive interdisciplinary marine research within Archaeology and Ocean Earth Science. Her doctoral research utilized a combination of obsidian analysis and palaeo-environmental modelling to discuss prehistoric seafaring and the obsidian trade within social systems of knowledge during the Central Mediterranean Neolithic period. Her work has inspired focus on the social implications of seafaring, boat technology, and the maritime environment worldwide, with experience across the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Pacific, Timor Sea, and Indian Ocean, including the island of Mauritius and closer to home in the Solent. She is also a co-investigator of the Black Sea MAP project, contributing to scientific research and educational resources. As an educator and science communicator, she is passionate about her role in media and educational projects and has earned recognition as a STEM champion. Currently, she leads an interdisciplinary team researching the earliest evidence of global seafaring with a prestigious European Research Council Horizon 2020 grant.
University of Southampton • Southampton
Co-ordinator of the Maritime Archaeology Programme, focusing on interdisciplinary marine research.