Professors Roberta Gilchrist and John Gibbs job-share in the role of the Research Dean for Heritage & Creativity. The research theme encompasses nearly 170 researchers in nine research divisions (Art, Archaeology, Classics, English Literature and Language, Film, Theatre, and Television, History, Modern Languages and Linguistics, Philosophy, Typography and Graphic Communication) across four schools.
Contact details
Roberta Gilchrist is a Professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading. She previously served as Head of Archaeology (1998-2002) and Head of the School of Archaeology, Geography & Environmental Science (2012-15). She is the lead for the University of Reading’s institutional partnership with the British Museum.
Roberta’s research focuses on the archaeology of medieval religion, gender and sacred heritage. She has published extensively on the topics of medieval monasticism, magic, death and burial, health and the life course, as well as key archaeological studies on Norwich Cathedral and Glastonbury Abbey. Her research has been funded by the AHRC, the Leverhulme, the British Academy and English Heritage and has been awarded prizes by the Society for Medieval Archaeology and the British Archaeological Awards.
Roberta was elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 2008 and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 2002. She was president of the Society for Medieval Archaeology (2004-7) and served as a panel member for RAE 2008, REF 2014 and REF 2021. She was ‘Archaeologist of the Year’ in 2016, based on a public vote for the Archaeology Awards. She is an honorary fellow of Jesus College Cambridge and an Honorary Research Fellow of the British Museum.
She was appointed the Research Dean for Heritage & Creativity in 2015 and started a new six-year term in August 2021.
More information on Roberta’s research and publications.
Contact details
