Geoarchaeology and Palaeoenvironment Network

My name is Dr Daniel Young, and I am very proud to be a co-facilitator of the

 Geoarchaeology and Palaeoenvironment Network. My background is in Quaternary Science and Environmental Archaeology, and I have been working in commercial archaeology and heritage for 17 years, starting my career as an environmental archaeologist before becoming a project manager for archaeological science at Quest, University of Reading. I moved to Wessex Archaeology as a Principal Geoarchaeologist in 2021, before taking up my current role at Haskoning, joining their Heritage team as Principal Geoarchaeologist, earlier this year. 

I specialise in sedimentology, site formation processes, palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and deposit modelling, and spend much of my time assessing the geoarchaeological potential of deposits and likely impacts from development, delivering strategic advice to help avoid or mitigate impacts, and ensuring that heritage assets are protected in both marine and terrestrial contexts. I have been a member of CIfA since 2017, and recently became a member of the Advisory Council; I am also a specialist assessor for applications related to geoarchaeology and environmental archaeology. I am passionate about understanding past interactions between humans and the physical landscape, and learning new and innovative ways to reconstruct past environments from the range of datasets that arise from both terrestrial and marine developments. I am very keen to support collaboration both within and across disciplines, and I am excited to see how the Network can enhance the quality and impact of our work across both marine and terrestrial contexts.

My name is Dr Rob Batchelor, and I’m really pleased to be a co-facilitator of the Geoarchaeology and Palaeoenvironmental Network. I’ve worked in commercial archaeology for over 20 years, beginning with the analysis of samples from developer-funded sites in London during my PhD at Royal Holloway. From 2008 to September 2025, I worked as Project Manager and later Director of Quest at the University of Reading, where I oversaw the delivery of Quaternary Science and Environmental Archaeology services to both commercial clients and research institutions. I’ve recently taken up a new role as Senior Principal Archaeology and Heritage Consultant at Stantec, specialising in geoarchaeology. The focus of my new role will be on assessing geoarchaeological potential, advising on/undertaking evaluation/mitigation strategies, and protecting heritage assets. My research interests centre on Holocene and Pleistocene floodplain landscapes and the complex interactions between topography, vegetation, hydrology, climate and human activity. I’m particularly passionate about integrating geoarchaeological and palaeoenvironmental evidence into development planning and research, fostering collaboration across academic, commercial, and professional communities to promote innovation and best practice in archaeology, and the development of new/future geoarchaeologists and palaeoenvironmental specialists.