宅男导航

A passion for researching early human settlements has taken archaeologist Professor Ian Lilley to some of the world鈥檚 most remote regions, and led to him being dubbed 鈥溦�男导航鈥檚 Indiana Jones鈥�.

On field trips he sometimes has no proper shower or bed for a month, and spends his days working in dusty excavation pits.

But his next appointment will be a world way from those circumstances: he will be working among the dreaming spires of Oxford.

Professor Lilley will travel to the UK this week to take up a prestigious at the . In the next six months, he will help the university establish a new (coursework) Masters of Studies in Cultural Heritage.

鈥淚 will also be doing applied heritage research that will bring together , the , peak mining groups and the world鈥檚 largest heritage consultants,鈥� said Professor Lilley, who works in 宅男导航鈥檚 .

鈥淭he aim is to develop mechanisms for capacity building in heritage management in the developing world. I will convene a meeting of these groups at Oxford in May to begin developing strategies.

鈥淲hen I return, I aim to parlay both projects into something of long-term value to 宅男导航.鈥�

Oxford鈥檚 archaeology department has become a magnet for 宅男导航 graduates and researchers in recent years.

Professor Lilley 鈥� himself a 宅男导航 graduate 鈥� will work in the department there alongside 宅男导航 alumni including post-doctoral researchers Drs Michael Haslem and Alison Crowther, and PhD student Michelle Langley.

鈥淚n archaeology, cultural heritage and anthropology, 宅男导航 is very highly regarded internationally,鈥� he said.

Co-incidentally, two indigenous Australians (including one Queenslander) also have this year begun postgraduate study at Oxford, after they were awarded the inaugural .

Professor Lilley plans to work with the Queensland recipient, fine arts student Christian Thompson, who is researching the collection of Indigenous Australian artifacts at Oxford鈥檚 Pitt Rivers Museum.

Professor Lilley is a world-recognised authority on heritage issues and holds a number of significant roles in the field. He is also well-known for his research in Australian and Pacific archaeology, particularly concerning ancient migration patterns.

In 2005 he became a World Heritage Assessor for the (ICOMOS), the statutory advisory body to UNESCO on cultural World Heritage.

In 2009 he was elected secretary-general of the ICOMOS International Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management, and last month he was elected Secretary-General of the , the peak regional professional archaeological body, covering mainland Asia from Pakistan to the Russian Far East, as well as SE Asia and the whole Pacific.

鈥淚 hope to use the international professional and industry networks provided by these appointments to add value to whatever initiatives in cultural heritage I help develop when I return from Oxford,鈥� Professor Lilley said.

Professor Lilley鈥檚 professorship was awarded by the , under a scheme that allows 鈥渙utstandingly distinguished鈥� academics from around the world to work in UK universities.

鈥淭he key objective of the scheme is to facilitate the enhancement of the skills of researchers and/or teachers at the host institution, although it is recognised that Visiting Professors will wish to use the occasion to further their own academic interests,鈥� the Trust says.

The Trust was established in 1925 under the will of the First Viscount Leverhulme, and now provides about 拢50 million in research and education funding annually. It operates across all academic disciplines and has funded research projects, fellowships, studentships, bursaries and prizes.

Media: Fiona Cameron, 宅男导航 Communications, ph +61 7 3346 7086