Core personnel

Michael established Coracle Archaeology Ltd in summer 2019, following several years as the head of marine archaeology at commercial archaeological consultancies around the UK. He has extensive experience in the research and commercial spheres, and has provided marine archaeological support for numerous developments in the UK and overseas, including offshore wind farms, electrical systems, interconnector and telecoms cables, port and harbour developments, tidal lagoons and arrays, and pipelines. 

Michael has directed many large-scale geophysical and archaeological surveys around the world, including one of the largest non-invasive surveys ever undertaken in Abu Dhabi. He has worked on a variety of maritime sites in the UK, Ireland, the Red Sea and the Gulf, and was project manager for the excavation of the London, a 17th century warship that sank in the Thames Estuary. An experienced diver, Michael completed his doctoral thesis at the University of Southampton in 2006, focusing on the Pudding Pan Roman wreck site in the outer Thames Estuary, and has published extensively on both marine heritage management and the archaeology of the Roman world. He has also taught geophysical survey methods to students in the UAE and from Birzeit University in the West Bank, Palestinian Authority. Michael is a visiting research fellow at the University of Southampton.

Michael's book on the Roman shipwreck at Pudding Pan can be found here.

Darren joined Coracle Archaeology in early 2020 following a period working as an independent researcher and consultant. He previously spent several years as a lecturer and research fellow in the Department of Archaeology, University of Southampton, and has directed and participated in numerous archaeological projects in Europe, the Middle East, east Africa and the Gulf. He has also worked on a number of commercial marine and offshore developments around the UK, including renewable energy technologies, interconnector and telecoms cables, and power stations.

Darren has published extensively on heritage management programs, non-invasive archaeological survey and the impact of archaeological research on coastal communities. Whilst at the University of Southampton he taught both archaeological method and theory, and spent two years as co-ordinator of the MSc in Maritime Archaeology. He has also taught archaeological methods in Egypt, Eritrea and the UAE. Darren completed his doctoral thesis at the University of Southampton in 2003.

Kieran joined Coracle Archaeology Ltd in 2024, following a lengthy research career spent at Ulster University (Northern Ireland), the University of Southampton (England) and Memorial University Newfoundland (Canada). Immediately prior to joining Coracle, he was the project supervisor for the Maritime Endangered Archaeology (MarEA) project, a major threat assessment programme for coastal and submerged archaeological sites in the Middle East and North Africa. He has extensive archaeological research experience across multiple regions including the British Isles, the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Canada and the Red Sea. His work to date has focussed on the investigation of submerged prehistoric landscapes, shipwreck site evolution processes and climate change impacts on archaeological sites. This diverse body of work has enabled him to develop a wide skillset incorporating Geographical Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing (both underwater and satellite), conventional field survey and archaeological diving. He has published extensively on climate change impacts on archaeological sites, submerged prehistoric landscapes and the use of different remote sensing techniques for maritime archaeological purposes (see ResearchGate profile). 

Kieran has experience teaching Quaternary environmental change, GIS and remote sensing, gained from multiple years of contributing to Ulster University’s undergraduate and post-graduate courses as both a lecturer and an e-tutor. Kieran completed an MA in Maritime Archaeology in 2002 and a PhD in 2007, both at University of Southampton, and also holds an MSc in Earth Science from the Open University (completed 2016). 

Ryan joined Coracle as a marine archaeologist in 2019, having previously worked for archaeological consultancies in the UK and the US. He is an experienced diver and surveyor, and has completed numerous dives on archaeological projects. Ryan has a special interest in the investigation of submerged palaeo-landscapes, with a focus on how best to incorporate maritime archaeological research into offshore commercial development programs. 

Since joining Coracle, Ryan has undertaken full EIAs for a number of marine projects around the UK, including energy developments and submarine cables. He graduated with an MSc in Maritime Archaeology from the University of Southampton in 2018.

Luca joined Coracle Archaeology as a Senior Marine Archaeologist in 2023. He has extensive experience in both terrestrial and marine archaeology, with a particular interest in the marine archaeology of the Middle East. An experienced diver, Luca has led and participated in marine archaeological projects in Italy, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman, and worked as project coordinator for the maritime archaeology of Oman project, a joint venture between Western Australia Museum, the University of Southampton and the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, Oman. Since joining Coracle, Luca has undertaken field surveys and watching briefs at landfall locations prior to and during the installation of subsea cables, including onboard monitoring on vessels during offshore installation. 

Luca’s research is focused on the evolution of boat construction techniques, with a particular emphasis on sewn-boat technology. He has led research teams in India and Sri Lanka, as well as researching and sourcing the materials to use in the reconstruction of the Jewel of Muscat, a 9th century sewn-plank boat. Alongside his work for Coracle, Luca is a PhD candidate and a part-time lecturer in maritime archaeology at the University of Macerata, Marche, Italy. Luca holds a BOSIET qualification for work on offshore vessels. 

 Julie joined Coracle Archaeology Ltd in 2024, bringing with her a solid and extensive background in business finance, HR and administration.  Over the years, she has acquired an extensive and diverse experience from working in both large corporate organisations and SMEs.

She has also demonstrated entrepreneurial success, having initiated and run several different 

industry-related enterprises of her own, which have contributed to her wider and improved 

commercial acumen. 

She holds a BA (Hons) degree in Ancient History from the University of Reading.

Marine geoarchaeological and palaeo-environmental support services are provided for Coracle by our colleagues at Coastal and Offshore Archaeological Research Services, University of Southampton. We work closely with Dr Michael Grant at COARS to ensure that our analysis and interpretation of marine palaeo-environmental and geotechnical data exceeds industry standards; this includes sampling for scientific dating purposes and the reconstruction of past environments. Michael has a PhD in palaeo-ecology and is a Senior Enterprise Fellow in Marine Archaeology at the University of Southampton.