Stuart Bedford

Associate Professor Stuart Bedford is a Fellow at the Australian National University's School of Culture, History & Language, specializing in Pacific archaeology. His research focuses on Vanuatu’s prehistory, including colonization patterns, volcanic impacts, and monumental architecture. He leads major projects like the Kuwae super-eruption study and the Malakula ritual architecture project, collaborating with institutions like the Max Planck Institute. He holds multiple ARC fellowships and supervises six PhD students.

Education: BA and MA (Auckland University), PhD (ANU). Current projects include investigating the 1452 CE Kuwae eruption’s global effects and Melanesian monumentality. His work bridges archaeology with volcanology, history, and community risk management.

Research interests span Lapita culture, environmental archaeology, and colonial interactions. Awards include ARC Postdoctoral, QEII, and Future Fellowships. Recent publications explore Lapita pottery variability, dental calculus insights into human migration, and subsistence practices in Vanuatu.