Benjamin Smith

Benjamin Smith is a Professor of Archaeology (World Rock Art) at the School of Social Sciences, University of Western Australia. He holds leadership roles including President of ICOMOS International Scientific Committee for Rock Art and Editorial Board Member of Antiquity and South African Journal of Science. His research focuses on rock art studies, heritage management, and African archaeology, with a strong emphasis on cross-disciplinary collaboration and community engagement.

Education:

• PhD in Archaeology, University of Cambridge (1995)
• BA in Archaeology, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Research Interests: Benjamin Smith’s work spans Australian and African archaeology, rock art analysis, heritage tourism, and the ethical management of cultural sites. He has pioneered initiatives to integrate indigenous knowledge systems into rock art interpretation and led multinational projects on rock art conservation. His current projects include digitization of cultural heritage and assessing industrial pollution impacts on Murujuga rock art.

Grants & Funding:

• $1.07M for Life after digitisation: future-proofing WA’s vulnerable cultural heritage (2022-2025)
• $960K for Cosmo-Art: cosmopolitan heritage management in southern Africa (2021-2024)
• $337K for Murujuga Rock Art Conservation Project (2019-2024)

His extensive grant portfolio totals over $4M in active funding.

Supervision & Teaching: Smith has supervised 13 PhDs and led development of the Heritage Studies program at UWA. He teaches archaeology courses and coordinates honors programs, emphasizing vocational training for students.

Labs & Teams: Leads the Digitisation Centre of Western Australia, a collaborative infrastructure project with WA universities and state institutions. His work drives innovation in digital archiving and cultural heritage preservation.