David Griffiths

Professor David Griffiths is a Professor of Archaeology and Director of Research at the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. He holds a visiting professorship at the University of Highlands and Islands' Institute for Northern Studies. His academic background includes a BA and PhD from Durham University and an MA from Oxford. He has held fellowships at Kellogg College since 1999 and was a British Academy/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellow (2014-15).

His research focuses on Viking-Age and medieval archaeology, landscape archaeology methodologies, environmental and coastal landscape change, and public engagement. Key geographic areas of study include England, Wales, Orkney, Scandinavia, and the North Atlantic. He has directed major projects such as the Birsay-Skaill Landscape Archaeology Project (Orkney) and the Archeox East Oxford Community Archaeology Project, which won the 2016 Vice-Chancellor’s Award for Public Engagement. Current collaborations include reconstructing a Viking longhouse at Kirbuster Farm Museum and publishing proceedings from the 19th Viking Congress (2022).

As a supervisor, he guides D.Phil students in archaeology and heritage studies, overseeing the MSc in Applied Landscape Archaeology program. His work bridges academia and community through projects like the Archeox initiative, emphasizing participatory archaeology and heritage education. Professional roles include membership in the Ashmolean Museum’s Board of Visitors and advisory roles for international museums and research councils.