Shannon Lewis-Simpson

Shannon Lewis-Simpson is an Adjunct Professor at Memorial University’s Department of Archaeology within the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. She also holds an Assistant Professor position at the Dallaire Centre of Excellence for Peace and Security at Canadian Forces College. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. (2005) in Early Medieval Studies from the University of York, UK. Her research focuses on medieval and post-medieval archaeology, Indigenous-Settler interactions, and contemporary issues like Cultural Heritage Protection and Human Security. She served as a Gender Advisor for NATO Mission Iraq (2020) and was a member of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (2017–2022).

Her expertise spans naval material culture, Viking-Age societies, and gender studies. She teaches courses such as ARCH 1001 (Critical Reading in Archaeology), ARCH/GDRS 2494 (Game of Genders), and ARCH/MST 3592 (Norse Archaeology). Her interdisciplinary supervision includes PhD and MA students researching topics like Newfoundland’s logging industry, burial practices, and Byzantine artifacts in Scandinavian contexts.

Her publications address themes like maritime history, medievalism, and the militarization of Viking societies. Recent works include contributions to *Vikings! A Public History* (2024) and *Evolving Human Security* (2023). She advocates for inclusive heritage interpretation and integrates experiential learning in her teaching, exemplified by her work on the East Coast Trail with the German Studies program.

Active in military and security studies, she co-edited works on Human Security frameworks for Canada’s military. Her fieldwork includes investigations of early European burial sites in Newfoundland and collaborative projects on Norse archaeology in Greenland. She remains committed to bridging historical research with contemporary challenges in security, peacebuilding, and cultural preservation.