Lara Lamb

Professor Lara Lamb is an anthropologist specializing in historical archaeology and heritage studies at the University of Southern Queensland (School of Humanities and Communication). Her affiliation with the Centre for Heritage and Culture underscores her commitment to interdisciplinary research. She holds a BA(Hons) from the University of Queensland and a PhD from the Australian National University (ANU).

Her research focuses on Pacific archaeology, particularly Papua New Guinea and Australia’s Indigenous heritage. Key themes include colonial legacies, decolonial theory, and the archaeology of exchange networks. She investigates oral traditions, rock art, and historical sites like the Emo site and Nawarla Gabarnmang to reconstruct human-environment interactions and cultural practices.

Her work bridges academic and applied contexts, addressing contemporary issues such as cultural repatriation and Indigenous engagement with colonial collections. Notable projects include analyzing Frank Hurley’s Gulf of Papua expeditions and studying gendered labor through archaeological remains.

Lamb’s publications reflect a focus on Holocene settlement patterns, heritage conservation, and Pacific prehistory. She has supervised multiple graduate students and contributed to grants exploring archaeological methods and historical preservation.