Alex Fitzpatrick, PhD FSA Scot
Higher Education
PhD
Archaeology
Ritual and Funerary Rites in Later Prehistoric Scotland: An Analysis of Faunal Assemblages from the Covesea Caves
University of Bradford
2016-2021
MSc
Archaeological Sciences
Fishing, Diet, and Environment in the Iron Age of the Northern Isles
University of Bradford
2015-2016
BA
Classical Archaeology & Anthropology
1:1 Degree Equivalent (3.687 GPA)
CUNY Hunter College
Work Experience
Research Fellow
The Congruence Engine: Digital Tools for New Collections-Based Industrial Histories
UKRI-Funded Project
Science Museum
2023 – Present
Research Officer
Enabled Archaeology Foundation
Charity Organisation
2022 – Present
Research Associate
Communities & Crowds: Expanding Volunteer Programs Across Physical and Digital Spaces for Cultural Institutions
AHRC-Funded Project
National Science & Media Museum
2022 – 2023
Research Assistant
Local Activity Partnerships Programme
University of Bradford
2022 – 2023
Research Assistant
Graduate Workforce Bradford
OfS Challenge Competition-Funded Project
University of Bradford
2021 – 2022
Grants, Awards, Fellowships
Visiting Research Fellowship (2023), School of Fine Art, History of Art, and Cultural Studies, University of Leeds
Blodwen Lloyd Binns Prize for Best Paper by an Early Career Scientist (2020), Glasgow Natural History Society
Bronze Winner in General: Education (2020) , The Telly Awards
Bronze Winner in Craft: Writing (2020), The Telly Awards
Best Short Form Science Writing (2020), The Short Form Science Writing Project
Young and Student Fellow Research Grant (2019), Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (PI £1,000)
Blodwen Lloyd Binns Research Grant (2019), Glasgow Natural History Society (PI £500)
Research Grant (2019), Prehistoric Society (PI £500)
Research Grant (2018), British Cave Research Association (PI £500)
Fellowship (2016), Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Graduate Award (2015), Hunter College
D.A.R.T. Program Research Grant (2014), Hunter College (PI $1,000)
E. Adelaide Han Prize for Archaeology (2014), Hunter College (PI $1,500)
Esteem Indicators
Professional Memberships
Society of Antiquaries of Scotland
Editorial Boards
Archaeology of Prehistoric Ireland & Britain, BAR Publishing Series
Committees
Leeds Civic Trust: Heritage and Culture Panel
Enabled Archaeology Foundation
LTSES Enabling Group: Decolonisation
International Council of Archaeozoology Professional Protocols
Society of Medical Anthropology Mental Health Interest Group
Reviewer
BAR Publishing
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports
Traces: An Open Invitation to Archaeology
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences
Public Engagement & Impact
As both an archaeological scientist and advocate in the sector, I have worked with various organisations (i.e. Historic England, PBS, Council of British Archaeology, Smithsonian Institution, Current Archaeology) in public outreach projects focused on archaeology and zooarchaeology. I am a frequent contributor to online publications and run my own blog at http://www.animalarchaeology.com. I have also appeared as a guest on various podcasts to promote my own research, and previously hosted the ArchaeoAnimals podcast on the Archaeology Podcast Network.
Keynote Talks
Keynote Speaker, Zooarchaeology Saves the World Conference (2022)
Keynote Speaker, 24th Iron Age Research Student Symposium, University of Liverpool (2021)
Keynote Panellist, Cambridge Annual Student Archaeology Conference, University of Cambridge (2021)
Plenary Panellist, ARCHON Conference, Dutch National Research School of Archaeology (2020)
Invited Panels
Professional Development Seminar, Disabled Archaeologists Network (2023)
Queering Archaeology, University of Edinburgh (2022)
Accessing Archaeology: A Conversation on Equity and Ethics, Smithsonian Institution (2022)
Post-Medieval Archaeology Journal: How Should We Be Different?, Post-Medieval Archaeology Congress (2021)
Invited Speaker
Who Cares About Dead Animals? The Case for Zooarchaeology, College of Wooster (2022)
Using Social Media to Diversify Archaeology, Scottish Heritage Social Media Group (2022)
Women in Bioanthropology and Archaeology, St. John’s College (2022)
Current Archaeology Live! , Current Archaeology (2021)
From Trenches to TV: the 21st Century Archaeologist, Festival of Archaeology (2020)
Organiser
Unlocking the Future of Virtual Volunteering, Heritage Volunteering Group Conference (2023)
Workshop session organised and facilitated by the Communities & Crowds project exploring what our research findings may mean for future iterations of virtual and hybrid approaches to volunteering in museums and archives.
Hybrid Volunteering: A New Approach to Photographic Collections, National Museums Scotland (2023)
As part of my work on the Communities & Crowds project, I co-organised a hybrid conference and workshop that brought together project partners with digital humanities scholars and heritage sector professionals to explore how in-person and online volunteering with museum collections and archives can make for a richer and more engaged volunteering opportunity.
Breaking Boundaries and Building a Future for Archaeology: Current Research from Early Career Archaeologists, Council for British Archaeology (2023)
I was invited by the Council for British Archaeology to organise an event focused on early career archaeologists as part of the This is Archaeology lecture series. I ensured that our speaker line-up was diverse, representing individuals from groups who have been historically excluded from the discipline.
African Caribbean History in the Daily Herald Archive, National Science and Media Museum (2022)
Volunteer-led event as part of Black History Month, where I supported volunteers in curating a selection of photographs from the Daily Herald Archives as part of an interactive exhibition focused on African Caribbean history. This also involved organising curator-led tours of the museum collections and providing my own expertise in interpreting the exhibited materials to visitors.
Student and Graduate Talent: Working and Belonging in Bradford, University of Bradford (2022)
Conference event celebrating the end of the Graduate Workforce Bradford project by highlighting its impact on practices and programmes developed within the University of Bradford and with project partners. This event included presentations of research findings by the project team and experiences from beneficiaries and partners, as well as workshops highlighting practices of delivery informed by the project.
Enabled Archaeology, Society for Post Medieval Archaeology Congress (2022)
Workshop session organised and facilitated by Enabled Archaeology Foundation committee members on making fieldwork more inclusive for disabled archaeologists.
Making Diversity Interventions Count Annual Conference, University of Bradford (2022)
International and interdisciplinary conference focused on exploring interventions aimed at advancing equality through the development of good practice in the effective use of diversity interventions in organisations.
Belong in Bradford, University of Bradford (2022)
Hybrid conference involving University of Bradford students and graduates, local employers, and community members discussing career opportunities in the Bradford area. Roundtable discussions allowed for audience participation with speakers.
Conferences & Seminar Presentations
Enabling Archaeology for Everyone: A Call to Action from the Enabled Archaeology Foundation. Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference, University of East Anglia, 20 December 2023.
Digital Intersections Around Science Collections. Digital Festival for the History of Science, 6 July 2023.
Opening up the Archive: An Approach to Volunteer-led Citizen Science in the Museum and Online. HeritageDot Conference, University of Lincoln, 22 March 2023.
Reimagining Zoos: A Call for Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Conservation and Curation. World Archaeological Congress 9, Cubex Centrum Prague, 7 July 2022.
Does Zooarchaeology Matter? A Case for Actionable Animal Archaeologies. Zooarchaeology Saves the World Conference. 31 May 2022.
Moving Towards Decolonisation: Proposing a Framework for Action in Universities. Making Diversity Interventions Count Annual Conference. 25 May 2022.
Digging while Depressed and Dis/Abled: Mental Health and Accessibility in Archaeological Practice. CIfA2022 Annual Conference. 26 April 2022.
Promoting Progress: Using Social Media to Diversify Archaeology. Digging Archaeology through Social Media, ARCHON Research School of Archaeology, 20 April 2022.
Unearthing the Uncomfortable: Reflections on the Continued Lack of Diversity in British Archaeology. NNAS Community Archaeology Conference, University of East Anglia. 9 April 2022.
Gesturing Beyond Bones: Proposing a Decolonised Zooarchaeology. Approaches to Decolonising Research. Liverpool John Moores University, 8 February 2022.
There is Power in the Past: The Politicization of Archaeology and Heritage in the Star Wars Universe. Realizing Resistance Episode II: Uncharted Galaxies. 6 May 2021.
On Liminality: Space, Time, and Identities. Spring into Science: Queer Representation in Research. University of Oxford, 5 May 2021.
Beyond Domestication and Subsistence: A Call for a Decolonised Zooarchaeology. Decolonising Science Narratives. Science Museum, London, 11 October 2019.
#DiggingWhileDepressed: A Call for Mental Health Awareness in Archaeology. 4th Public Archaeology Twitter Conference. 5 September 2019.
Should We Respect Rover’s Remains? A Discussion on Ethics, or the Lack Thereof, in Zooarchaeology. Animal Remains Conference. University of Sheffield, 29-30 April 2019.
The WordPress Workshop: Blogging as a Method for Theory Development. PressEd Twitter Conference. 18 April 2019.
No Margins, No Word Counts, No Masters! Experimenting with ‘Zines for Archaeological Outreach. 3rd Public Archaeology Twitter Conference. 19 January 2019.
Black Flags and Black Trowels: Embracing Anarchy in Interpretation and Practice. Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference. University of Chester, 17-19 December 2018.
Cave of Wonders: A Preliminary Analysis of the Faunal Assemblages from the Covesea Caves, NE Scotland. 29th Cave Science Symposium. University of Bristol, 13 October 2018.
The Worldwide Reference Collection: Zooarchaeological Twitter and the Case for an International Zooarchaeology Database. Computer Applications in Archaeology Twitter Conference. 19 March 2018.
Things Worth Telling: Considering the Narrative in Environmental Archaeology. Theoretical Archaeology Group Conference. Cardiff University, 18-20 December 2017.
Publications
Book Chapters
Backe, E.L., and Fitzpatrick, A. (2024). Fieldwork and Feeled-Work: Addressing Mental Health in Ethnography. In B Spector and C Procter (eds) Inclusive Ethnography: Making Fieldwork Safer, Healthier & More Ethical. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE Publishing.
This chapter facilitates a conversation on the role of mental health in ethnographic fieldwork and training, as well as proposes steps towards a disciplinary ethos of care within anthropology as a whole.
Fitzpatrick, A. (Forthcoming 2024) Archaeologists, Activists, and Angry Trolls: Using Social Media for Digital Activism in Archaeology. In H Cobb and K Hawkins (eds) Documenting Activism, Creating Change: Archaeology and the Legacy of #MeToo. Oxford: Archaeopress.
This chapter, written in the informal and self-reflexive style used in social media content, provides a summary of digital activist interventions made by archaeologists, contextualised by a broader discussion on social media in contemporary movements. I also reflect on my own experiences in using social media to advocate for change in the field, and end with a “call to action” for translating social media activism into more tangible action.
Boyle, T., and Fitzpatrick, A. (Forthcoming 2024) How to Provide Outreach that is In Reach: An Examination of Trends towards Multivocality and Accessibility in Digital Public Archaeology. In L Richardson (ed) The Routledge Handbook of Archaeology and Media in the 21st Century. Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge.
This chapter examines recent trends of multivocality and accessibility in digital public archaeology, looking at how shifts in media consumption impacts approaches to dissemination of archaeological research. Archaeology podcasting is highlighted as an example of this trend.
Journal Articles
Fitzpatrick, A. (2024). “Ancient Egyptian Curses and Bog Bodies: Second Response”. Epoiesen.
This short article is a response to E. Verstraete’s article ‘Ancient Egyptian Curses and Bog Bodies: The Role of Pseudoarchaeology in Tumblr’s Subculture’ in the same Special Issue.
Belknap, G., Blickhan, S., Fitzpatrick, A., & Wray, L. (2024). Opening up the Archive: An Approach to Volunteer-led Crowdsourcing in the Museum and Online. IMPact: e-Journal of Higher Education Research, 7(1), 1-14.
This article outlines a new, collaborative approach to working with volunteers from local communities to bridge the gap between in-person and online volunteering, and ultimately open up photographic archives.
Halmhofer, S., & Fitzpatrick, A. (2023). There is Power in the Past: The Politicization of Archaeology and Heritage in the Star Wars Universe. Unbound: A Journal of Digital Scholarship, 3(1), 14–23.
This article examines the roles that archaeology and heritage play in the Star Wars universe, specifically how both are weaponised for political means and how this manipulation of the past is enacted in the real world.
Fletcher, E.H., Backe, E.L., Brykalski, T., Fitzpatrick, A., González, M., Ginzburg, S.L., Meeker, R., Rondeau, R.P., Thies-Sauder, M. and Reyes-Foster, B.M. (2022). Policy Statement Mental Well-being among Anthropologists at Universities: A Call for System Transformation. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 36(1).
This policy statement is a response to structural inequities in academia that exacerbate mental distress among students and anthropologists who experience oppression.
Carruthers, W., Inala, J., Davis, S., Challis, D., Schiappacasse, P.A., Dixon, S., Milosavljević, M., Moore, L., Novell, R., Fitzpatrick, A., Abd el Gawad, H. and Stevenson, A. (2021). Special Issue: Inequality and Race in the Histories of Archaeology. Bulletin of the History of Archaeology, 31(1).
This special issue gathers together a selection of short articles reflecting on the historical construction of inequality and race in the histories of archaeology.
Fitzpatrick, A., Bond, J., Büster, L., and Armit, I. (2020). A Brief Consideration of the Later Prehistoric Appearance and Possible Significance of the Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis) in the Covesea Caves of North-East Scotland. The Glasgow Naturalist 27(2).
This short article describes the distribution and composition of the great auk assemblage found within the Covesea Caves and discusses its significance.
Fitzpatrick, A. (2019). Identification of Avian Remains from Covesea Cave 2 on the Moray Firth Coast, Northeastern Scotland. Cave & Karst Science 46(3), 115-117.
This report details attempts to confirm species identifications for several avian bones of interest through various methodologies during excavation in the Covesea Caves, Scotland.
Fitzpatrick, A. (2019). Fish Bones, Isotopes, and Microscopes: A Pilot Study in Applying Analytical Methods to Iron Age Faunal Remains. Assemblage 17, 1-10.
This paper examines results from zooarchaeological analysis of fish bones from the site of Swandro in the Orkney Islands and reframes the project as a pilot study of analytical methodologies to problematic faunal remains.
Newsletter & Magazine Articles
Fitzpatrick, A. (2023) Where is the Diversity in the Heritage Sector? Attempting to Resolve a National and Local Issue. Briefing 12, pp. 38-39.
This brief article discusses the lack of diversity in the UK heritage sector, both on a national level as well as on a local level, highlighting the importance of highlighting the diversity of Yorkshire through heritage work and reflecting this in the workforce.
Clements, S., Fitzpatrick, A., Hunt, A. (2023) Current Barriers for Disabled People in Accessing Archaeology. The Archaeologist 118, pp. 3-6.
This article explores the current barriers for studying, engaging with, and finding employment in archaeology for disabled people in Britain, concluding with a “call to action” for archaeologists to commit to a more inclusive and accessible sector.
Fitzpatrick, A. (2021). So…is Archaeology Decolonized Yet? New Voices in Postcolonial Studies, Summer 2021. pp. 29-33.
This article examines the current state of decolonising archaeology, framed by critical self-reflection of my own attempts to “decolonise” my research, and placed in context of broader literature of postcolonial archaeology.
Büster, L., Armit, I., and Fitzpatrick, A. (2020). New Light on the Covesea Caves, north-east Scotland. PAST 96, Autumn 2020. pp. 2-5.
This short article summarises recent findings from the Covesea Cave Project.
Fitzpatrick, A. (2020) In the Future, We Will Create a Typology for Thrift Store Tags. Barrow 4, pp. 26-27.
This article speculates on the future archaeological value of thrift stores and frames these spaces as complex, liminal spaces of artefactual accumulation.
Grey Literature & Technical Reports
Bridger, K., Fitzpatrick, A., Faqir, U. (2022) Graduate Workforce Bradford – Research and Evaluation Reports: 2019-2022. University of Bradford.
Fitzpatrick, A. and Faqir, U. (2022) Graduate Workforce Bradford – Research and Evaluation Report: September 2022. University of Bradford.
Fitzpatrick, A. (2021) Faunal Report: Ilorin, Nigeria, West Africa. Unpublished Report.
Fitzpatrick, A. (2021) Faunal Report: Republik Freies Wendland. Unpublished Report.
Fitzpatrick, A. (2020) Faunal Report: Raunds 3014. Unpublished Report.
Fitzpatrick, A. (2019) An overview of the faunal assemblage. In L. Büster and I. Armit (eds) The Covesea Caves Project Fieldwork 2018. Unpublished Data Structure Report. pgs. 27-29.
Online Publications
Fitzpatrick, A., and Rees, A. (2023) Congruence Engine in Bradford: Towards a Local Instance of the National Collection Social Machine. Science Museum Group. Retrieved from https://ceblog.sciencemuseumgroup.org.uk/2023/12/19/congruence-engine-in-bradford-towards-a-local-instance-of-the-national-collection-social-machine/
Fitzpatrick, A. (2023) On Changing Terminology: From Dis/Abled to Disabled. Enabled Archaeology Foundation. Retrieved from https://enabledarchaeology.com/on-changing-terminology-from-dis-abled-to-disabled/
Fitzpatrick, A. (2023) New Approaches to Hybrid Volunteering: A Report from the Communities & Crowds Workshop. National Science and Media Museum. Retrieved from https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/new-approaches-to-hybrid-volunteering-a-report-from-the-communities-crowds-workshop/
Fitzpatrick, A. (2023) From the Archives to the Internet: Updates from the Communities & Crowds Project. National Science and Media Museum. Retrieved from https://blog.scienceandmediamuseum.org.uk/communities-crowds-project-update/
Fitzpatrick, A. (2020). You Will Never Be Indiana Jones. Lady Science. Retrieved from http://www.ladyscience.com/essays/you-will-never-be-indiana-jones-toxic-masculinity-archaeology
Fitzpatrick, A. (2019). Ritual and Funerary Rites in Later Prehistoric Scotland. Societies of Antiquaries of Scotland. Retrieved from http://www.socantscot.org/research-project/ritual-and-funerary-rites-in-later-prehistoric-scotland/
Fitzpatrick, A. (2019). To Be the Curator, and Not the Curated. Sister STEM. Retrieved from http://sisterstem.org/2019/09/16/to-be-the-curator-and-not-the-curated
Science Communication
When Did We Stop Being Naked? Eons. Episode 607. PBS Digital Studios. (writer).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE2Q4pvOveU
The Neanderthal Burial That Taught Us About Humanity. Eons. Episode 511. PBS Digital Studios. (writer).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE2Q4pvOveU
How Dogs (Eventually) Became Our Best Friends. Eons. Episode 302. PBS Digital Studios. (writer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDt0HKSdRRw
How We Domesticated Cats (Twice). Eons. Episode 242. PBS Digital Studios. (writer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYPJzQppANo&t=55s
When Giant Deer Roamed Eurasia. Eons. Episode 231. PBS Digital Studios. (writer)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZEYcbhcLsw&t=1s
animalarchaeology.com 