
Overview
Background
I research ancient agriculture, plant use and human environmental impact in Turkey, Italy (Pompeii) and Australasia via the analysis of archaeological plant remains (seeds, fruits leaves etc)
I started my archaeological career in 1988, working on the excavation of Blawearie Cairn in my native Northumberland (UK). I studies at the Institute of Archaeology, UCL (London) gaining BSc Archaeology (1991), MSc Bio and Geoarchaeology (1992) and PhD (2001), specialising in the study of plant macrofossil remains, such as seeds, fruits, leaves and wood, from archaeological sites to reconstruct past environments and economic practices. I also developed a large consulting portfolio, working as an environmental archaeologist for the Museum of London Archaeology Service (1993-1994) and UCL Geoarchaeology Unit (1992-1993) and as an independent contractor (1994-2001). From 1999-2001 I worked as a research assistant for the Catalhoyuk Research Project, based at Cambridge University and during that time moved to Australia. From 2001 - 2004 I worked at The Australian National University in Canberra as a research assistant to the Engendering Roman Spaces Project and then received a research fellowship at the Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies. I moved to UQ in January 2006. My research interests are currently focused on the origins of agriculture in Central Anatolia (Turkey) and the later development of the region's state economies. I also work in Australasia where I have been developing plant macrofossil techniques to disentangle ancient tree-fruit use and the development of food production in Papua New Guinea.
Availability
- Professor Andrew Fairbairn is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science, University College London
- Masters (Coursework) of Science, University College London
- Doctor of Philosophy, University College London
Works
Search Professor Andrew Fairbairn’s works on UQ eSpace
2024
Journal Article
Developing a holistic and collaborative approach for the archaeology of Australian South Sea Islanders in Queensland
Miller, Imelda, Youse, Zia, Bickey, Tomasina, Haddow, Eve, Mate, Geraldine, Zubrzycka, Adele, Prangnell, Jonathan, Fairbairn, Andrew, Robinson, Helena, Baumgartl, Thomas and Flexner, James L. (2024). Developing a holistic and collaborative approach for the archaeology of Australian South Sea Islanders in Queensland. Archaeology in Oceania, 59 (3), 435-449. doi: 10.1002/arco.5330
2024
Journal Article
Correction to: Early human occupation of Australia’s eastern seaboard (Scientific Reports, (2024), 14, 1, (2579), 10.1038/s41598-024-52000-y)
Adams, Shaun, Norman, Kasih, Kemp, Justine, Jacobs, Zenobia, Costelloe, Michael, Fairbairn, Andrew, Robins, Richard, Stock, Errol, Moss, Patrick, Smith, Tam, Love, Serena, Manne, Tiina, Lowe, Kelsey M., Logan, India, Manoel, Michael, McFadden, Karen, Burns, Darren, Dooley, Thomas, Falkiner, Zac and Clarkson, Chris (2024). Correction to: Early human occupation of Australia’s eastern seaboard (Scientific Reports, (2024), 14, 1, (2579), 10.1038/s41598-024-52000-y). Scientific Reports, 14 (1) 14309. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-65370-0
2024
Journal Article
Early Aboriginal pottery production and offshore island occupation on Jiigurru (Lizard Island group), Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Ulm, Sean, McNiven, Ian J., Summerhayes, Glenn R., Wu, Pei-hua, Bunbury, Magdalena M.E., Petchey, Fiona, Hua, Quan, Skelly, Robert, Lambrides, Ariana B.J., Rowe, Cassandra, Lowe, Kelsey M., Reepmeyer, Christian H., Maclaurin, Cailey, Woo, Katherine G.P., Harris, Matthew, Morgan, Sarah B., Turner-Kose, Kayla L., Slater, Sarah A., Connelly, Joshua D., Kneppers, Michael C., Szabó, Katherine, Fairbairn, Andrew, Haberle, Simon G., Hopf, Felicitas, Bultitude, Robert, Ash, Jeremy, Lewis, Stephen E., Beaman, Robin J., Leon, Javier Xavier ... Cobus, Brian (2024). Early Aboriginal pottery production and offshore island occupation on Jiigurru (Lizard Island group), Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews, 333 108624, 333. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2024.108624
2024
Journal Article
Late Bronze Age agriculture and the early westward transmission of rice at Luanzagangzi, Northern Xinjiang, China
Heywood, Sullivan, Spate, Michael, Betts, Alison, Jia, Peter and Fairbairn, Andrew (2024). Late Bronze Age agriculture and the early westward transmission of rice at Luanzagangzi, Northern Xinjiang, China. Holocene, 34 (2), 202-211. doi: 10.1177/09596836231211827
2024
Journal Article
Early human occupation of Australia’s eastern seaboard
Adams, Shaun, Norman, Kasih, Kemp, Justine, Jacobs, Zenobia, Costelloe, Michael, Fairbairn, Andrew, Robins, Richard, Stock, Errol, Moss, Patrick, Smith, Tam, Love, Serena, Manne, Tiina, Lowe, Kelsey M., Logan, India, Manoel, Michael, McFadden, Karen, Burns, Darren, Falkiner, Zac and Clarkson, Chris (2024). Early human occupation of Australia’s eastern seaboard. Scientific Reports, 14 (1) 2579. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-52000-y
2024
Book Chapter
Plant use at Kinet Hoyuk
Fairbairn, Andrew and Harding, Makayla (2024). Plant use at Kinet Hoyuk. Kinet Hoyuk 2: The Early Bronze Age and earlier occupations. (pp. 343-356) edited by Christine Eslick. Istanbul, Turkey: Ege Yayinlari.
2023
Journal Article
A Holocene sequence from Walufeni Cave, Southern Highlands Province, and its implications for the settlement of the Great Papuan Plateau, Papua New Guinea
Barker, Bryce, Lamb, Lara, Leavesley, Matthew, Manne, Tiina, Fairbairn, Andrew, Coe, Andrew, Lowe, Kelsey M., Beni, Teppsy, Neanda, Betty and Aubert, Maxime (2023). A Holocene sequence from Walufeni Cave, Southern Highlands Province, and its implications for the settlement of the Great Papuan Plateau, Papua New Guinea. Australian Archaeology, 89 (1), 47-65. doi: 10.1080/03122417.2023.2175960
2023
Journal Article
Mobility and kinship in the world's first village societies
Pearson, Jessica, Evans, Jane, Lamb, Angela, Baird, Douglas, Hodder, Ian, Marciniak, Arkadiusz, Larsen, Clark Spencer, Knüsel, Christopher J., Haddow, Scott D., Pilloud, Marin A., Bogaard, Amy, Fairbairn, Andrew, Plug, Jo-Hannah, Mazzucato, Camilla, Mustafaoğlu, Gökhan, Feldman, Michal, Somel, Mehmet and Fernández-Domínguez, Eva (2023). Mobility and kinship in the world's first village societies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 120 (4) e2209480119, 1-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2209480119
2022
Journal Article
Archaeological identification of fragmented nuts and fruits from key Asia-Pacific economic tree species using anatomical criteria: comparative analysis of Canarium, Pandanus and Terminalia
Fairbairn, Andrew S. and Florin, S. Anna (2022). Archaeological identification of fragmented nuts and fruits from key Asia-Pacific economic tree species using anatomical criteria: comparative analysis of Canarium, Pandanus and Terminalia. Archaeology in Oceania, 57 (3), 160-188. doi: 10.1002/arco.5273
2022
Journal Article
65,000 years of changing plant food and landscape use at Madjedbebe, Mirarr country, northern Australia
Florin, S. Anna, Fairbairn, Andrew S., Nango, May, Djandjomerr, Djaykuk, Hua, Quan, Marwick, Ben, Reutens, David C., Fullagar, Richard, Smith, Mike, Wallis, Lynley A. and Clarkson, Chris (2022). 65,000 years of changing plant food and landscape use at Madjedbebe, Mirarr country, northern Australia. Quaternary Science Reviews, 284 107498, 107498. doi: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107498
2021
Journal Article
Rock engravings and occupation sites in the Mount Bosavi Region, Papua New Guinea: Implications for our understanding of the human presence in the Southern Highlands
Lamb, Lara, Barker, Bryce, Leavesley, Matthew, Aubert, Maxime, Fairbairn, Andrew and Manne, Tiina (2021). Rock engravings and occupation sites in the Mount Bosavi Region, Papua New Guinea: Implications for our understanding of the human presence in the Southern Highlands. Archaeology in Oceania, 56 (3) arco.5247, 304-321. doi: 10.1002/arco.5247
2021
Journal Article
Variable kinship patterns in Neolithic Anatolia revealed by ancient genomes
Yaka, Reyhan, Mapelli, Igor, Kaptan, Damla, Doğu, Ayça, Chyleński, Maciej, Erdal, Ömür Dilek, Koptekin, Dilek, Vural, Kıvılcım Başak, Bayliss, Alex, Mazzucato, Camilla, Fer, Evrim, Çokoğlu, Sevim Seda, Lagerholm, Vendela Kempe, Krzewińska, Maja, Karamurat, Cansu, Gemici, Hasan Can, Sevkar, Arda, Dağtaş, Nihan Dilşad, Kılınç, Gülşah Merve, Adams, Donovan, Munters, Arielle R., Sağlıcan, Ekin, Milella, Marco, Schotsmans, Eline M.J., Yurtman, Erinç, Çetin, Mehmet, Yorulmaz, Sevgi, Altınışık, N. Ezgi, Ghalichi, Ayshin ... Somel, Mehmet (2021). Variable kinship patterns in Neolithic Anatolia revealed by ancient genomes. Current Biology, 31 (11), 2455-2468. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.050
2021
Journal Article
Reimagining the relationship between Gondwanan forests and Aboriginal land management in Australia's “Wet Tropics”
Roberts, Patrick, Buhrich, Alice, Caetano-Andrade, Victor, Cosgrove, Richard, Fairbairn, Andrew, Florin, S. Anna, Vanwezer, Nils, Boivin, Nicole, Hunter, Barry, Mosquito, Desley, Turpin, Gerry and Ferrier, Åsa (2021). Reimagining the relationship between Gondwanan forests and Aboriginal land management in Australia's “Wet Tropics”. iScience, 24 (3) 102190, 1-17. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102190
2021
Conference Publication
UQ's RD Milns Antiquities Museum: Current and Future Directions
Donaldson, James, Fairbairn, Andrew and McWilliam, Janette (2021). UQ's RD Milns Antiquities Museum: Current and Future Directions. Mediterranean Archaeology Australasian Research Community Conference 2021, Online, 28-30 January 2021.
2021
Journal Article
Pandanus nutshell generates a palaeoprecipitation record for human occupation at Madjedbebe, northern Australia
Florin, S. Anna, Roberts, Patrick, Marwick, Ben, Patton, Nicholas R., Shulmeister, James, Lovelock, Catherine E., Barry, Linda A., Hua, Quan, Nango, May, Djandjomerr, Djaykuk, Fullagar, Richard, Wallis, Lynley A., Fairbairn, Andrew S. and Clarkson, Chris (2021). Pandanus nutshell generates a palaeoprecipitation record for human occupation at Madjedbebe, northern Australia. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 5 (3), 295-303. doi: 10.1038/s41559-020-01379-8
2021
Book Chapter
Agriculture in the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age of Asia Minor
Fairbairn, Andrew S. (2021). Agriculture in the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age of Asia Minor. A companion to ancient agriculture. (pp. 211-239) edited by David Hollander and Timothy Howe. Hoboken, NJ, United States: Wiley Blackwell. doi: 10.1002/9781118970959.ch11
2020
Journal Article
We don’t have as much agency as you think
Fairbairn, Andrew (2020). We don’t have as much agency as you think. Australian Archaeology, 86 (3), 297-298. doi: 10.1080/03122417.2020.1834183
2020
Journal Article
Settlement change on the western Konya Plain: refining Neolithic and Chalcolithic chronologies at Canhasan, Turkey
Fairbairn, Andrew, Jacobsson, Piotr, Baird, Douglas, Jacobsen, Geraldine and Stroud, Elizabeth (2020). Settlement change on the western Konya Plain: refining Neolithic and Chalcolithic chronologies at Canhasan, Turkey. Antiquity, 94 (374), 342-360. doi: 10.15184/aqy.2020.13
2020
Journal Article
The first Australian plant foods at Madjedbebe, 65,000–53,000 years ago
Florin, S. Anna, Fairbairn, Andrew S., Nango, May, Djandjomerr, Djaykuk, Marwick, Ben, Fullagar, Richard, Smith, Mike, Wallis, Lynley A. and Clarkson, Chris (2020). The first Australian plant foods at Madjedbebe, 65,000–53,000 years ago. Nature Communications, 11 (1) 924, 1-8. doi: 10.1038/s41467-020-14723-0
2019
Journal Article
Archaeological assessment reveals Earth’s early transformation through land use
Stephens, Lucas, Fuller, Dorian, Boivin, Nicole, Rick, Torben, Gauthier, Nicolas, Kay, Andrea, Marwick, Ben, Armstrong, Chelsey Geralda Denise, Barton, C. Michael, Denham, Tim, Douglass, Kristina, Driver, Jonathan, Janz, Lisa, Roberts, Patrick, Rogers, J. Daniel, Thakar, Heather, Altaweel, Mark, Johnson, Amber L., Vattuone, Maria Marta Sampietro, Aldenderfer, Mark, Archila, Sonia, Artioli, Gilberto, Bale, Martin T., Beach, Timothy, Borrell, Ferran, Braje, Todd, Buckland, Philip I., Cano, Nayeli Guadalupe Jiménez, Capriles, José M. ... ArchaeoGLOBE Project (2019). Archaeological assessment reveals Earth’s early transformation through land use. Science, 365 (6456), 897-902. doi: 10.1126/science.aax1192
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Andrew Fairbairn is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Master Philosophy
Plant exploitation and management on Mithaka Country, south-western Queensland: Developing frameworks for understanding cultivation, niche construction, and domestication in Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Michael Westaway
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the complex origins of the olive tree: olive domestication processes and their ecological and socioeconomic impact in prehistory
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
Settlement resilience and adaptation through the climatic, economic, and political changes of the Central Anatolian Bronze Age
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alison Crowther
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the complex origins of the olive tree: olive domestication processes and their ecological and socioeconomic impact in prehistory
Principal Advisor
-
Doctor Philosophy
The role of humans in controlling the rainforest-sclerophyll forest boundary in Southeast Queensland during the Holocene
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alison Crowther
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding prehistoric human mobility along the coast of Papua New Guinea through strontium isotope mapping
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Michael Westaway
-
Doctor Philosophy
Archaeobotanical Analysis of Plant Processing on Mithaka Country
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Michael Westaway, Dr Alison Crowther
-
Doctor Philosophy
An Archaeobotanical Perspective on the Economy of the Ancient City of Kilwa Kisiwani, Southern Tanzania: AD 800-1600
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alison Crowther
-
Doctor Philosophy
Investigating prehistoric mobility in Motupore Islanders through strontium isotope mapping
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Michael Westaway
-
Doctor Philosophy
Collecting Antiquities in Wartime: Australian antiquities collectors in the First World War
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Geoff Ginn
Completed supervision
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
An archaeobotanical analysis of agricultural and economic change at Kaman-Kalehöyük during the Persian Empire
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alison Crowther
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Archaeobotanical investigations into 65,000 years of plant food use at Madjedbebe, Mirarr country, northern Australia
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Chris Clarkson
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Ancient Woodland and its Management in Central Anatolia: An Anthracological Study of the Bronze and Iron Ages at Kaman-Kalehöyük, Turkey
Principal Advisor
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Investigating climate related agricultural stress patterns at Bronze and Iron Age Kaman-Kalehöyük: The integration of botanical stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values, grain weight values, and seed analysis
Principal Advisor
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
A Peacock's Tale: Runaway agricultural evolution and the development of Pre-Pottery Neolithic communities in the southern Levant
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Chris Clarkson
-
2013
Doctor Philosophy
From tiny seeds, mighty empires grow: an archæological Ottoman village site through a world-systems perspective
Principal Advisor
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
A multiproxy study of dietary flexibility and wild plant use by early food producers in Upper Nubia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Alison Crowther
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Interpreting Central Anatolian heritage: the construction of place and identity in Neolithic archaeological sites in Turkey
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Ian Lilley
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Regime change: An anthracological assessment of fuel wood selection and management at Madjedbebe (Malakunanja II), Mirarr country, Australia
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Chris Clarkson
-
2017
Master Philosophy
The role of experimental knapping in empirically testing key themes in the evolution of lithic technology: reduction intensity, efficiency and behavioural complexity
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Chris Clarkson
-
2006
Doctor Philosophy
AN ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE INSTANT: ISSUES IN THE INTERPRETATION OF MICROSCOPIC ARCHAELOGICAL RESIDUES
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Emeritus Professor Ian Lilley
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Andrew Fairbairn directly for media enquiries about:
- Ancient agriculture
- Ancient human environmental impacts
- Archaeological sites - seeds and fruits
- Archaeology
- Archaeology - charcoals
- Environmental impacts - ancient human
- Macrofossil analysis
- Natural sediments - archaeological sites
- Papua New Guinea - archaeology
- Seeds and fruits - archaeological sites
- Turkey - archaeology
- UK - archaeology
Need help?
For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team: