About me

Hi there, I’m Madeline — a coastal archaeologist and PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, with a background in both Archaeology and Marine Science. My current research focuses on how early human communities adapted to dynamic coastal environments, examining sea-level change, resource use, and landscape interactions along the southern coast of Sri Lanka during the mid-Holocene.

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My work brings together GIS, remote sensing, and field-based survey to understand how people navigated and utilised complex coastal and lagoonal systems. I’m particularly interested in how environmental change shapes human behaviour, and how these relationships can be understood through archaeological and spatial analysis across diverse coastal settings.

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I also specialise in photogrammetry and 3D documentation, with over nine years of experience training students and researchers in Australia and internationally. My work spans terrestrial, aerial, and underwater recording — from drone-based survey to close-range object modelling — and I recently published a manual on photogrammetry for archaeological materials.

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Alongside my research, I work as the Archaeology Research Support Officer in the Tom Austen Brown Archaeology Research Hub at the University of Sydney, where I support field projects, archaeological research, and manage the Hub’s operations and equipment.

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I also bring practical field and maritime experience, holding a Remote Pilot Licence (sub-25 kg), a Coxswain’s Grade 1 Near Coastal Licence, and a Rescue Scuba Diver certification, with experience operating vessels and conducting work in coastal and marine environments. I’m passionate about working in coastal settings and collaborating on projects that connect archaeology, technology, environment, and community.

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I'm also a photographer in my spare time and a violinist!