Professor Graeme Barker awarded Honorary Degree

Professor Graeme Barker, Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research and Fellow of St John’s College, has been awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Sheffield in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of Archaeology. The degree was conferred on 22 July at a ceremony in Sheffield.

Professor Barker is Disney Professor of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on prehistoric archaeology, the relationship between landscape and people, transitions from foraging to farming, and the origins of human behaviour and migrations. He works all over the world, including in the rainforest of Borneo, and the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa. One of his major contributions is work showing how humans have adapted to climate change in the past, and the lessons that can be learned from this today.

In 2005 Graeme Barker was joint winner of the Dan David Prize due to his role in the promotion of archaeology and his pioneering research work on Libya’s semi-arid landscapes, and in 1999 he was elected Fellow of the British Academy.

The Department of Archaeology at Sheffield is one of the largest archaeology departments in Europe, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Department. Professor Barker’s first academic position was as Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer at the Department.