Our team
The reputation of Coracle Archaeology is built on the knowledge, expertise and skills of our team members.
Our core staff are educated to post-graduate level, and have extensive national and international experience in the commercial and research sectors.
Principal Marine Archaeologist
Kieran Westley MA MSc PhD MCIfA MIAI
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).
