Simon Armitage

Simon Armitage is a Professor in Quaternary Science at the Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London. He leads the SFF Centre for Early Sapiens Behaviour (SapienCE) at the University of Bergen, Norway. His research focuses on applying Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating to investigate climate-human interactions in Africa and the Arabian Peninsula during the Late Quaternary. Key projects include studies in Libya, Nigeria, South Africa, and the UAE, examining migration routes and environmental impacts on early human populations. Armitage holds a BA from the University of Oxford and a PhD from Aberystwyth University. He has supervised multiple PhD students and led projects funded by NERC, ERC, and the Leverhulme Trust.

Education:

• PhD in Geography: University of Wales Aberystwyth (2006)
• BA in Geography: University of Oxford

Research Interests: Climate change impacts on dryland populations, OSL dating methodology advancements, and the environmental context of human migration out of Africa. Recent work includes analyzing trans-Saharan migration routes and dating AMH occupation in Arabia.

Projects & Grants:

• Principal Investigator: SapienCE (Norwegian Research Council, 2017–2027)
• TRACSYMBOLS Project (European Research Council, 2010–2015)
• NERC-funded postdoctoral research (Oxford, 2002–2006)

Lab & Teams: Active in the Centre for Quaternary Research at Royal Holloway and collaborates internationally on archaeological dating and environmental reconstruction projects.