Dr Martin Gibbs

Dr Martin Gibbs is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Sydney. His current research interests include various projects looking at the archaeology of the convict systems of NSW (with Denis Gojak), Tasmania and Western Australia, as well as on the landscapes of early estates which used convict labour. Maritime archaeological interests include the cultural processes in wreck site formation, shipwreck survivor camps, frontier maritime industries (especially whaling and sealing) and maritime cultural landscapes. He is currently working with Dr Brad Duncan on a book about a 19th century Australian community’s responses to shipwrecks. When he has the chance he also works on projects exploring the nature of late pre-European and contact period change in indigenous communities.

In addition to his Australian research Martin is currently investigating the archaeology of the 16th century failed Spanish colonisations of the Solomon Islands (with Dr David Roe). The particular focus is the archaeology of the Pamua (Makira) site, which may represent a failed settlement of the ‘lost’ 1595 colonising ship Santa Isabel. On the technical side, he is exploring the applications of remote sensing techniques (ground penetrating radar, magnetometer, resistivity meter) on Australian archaeological sites.

Martin Gibbs is President of the Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology, which is the major body for promoting and publishing historical archaeological research in Australia and New Zealand, and co-director of the Archaeology of Sydney Research Group.