The York Research Database

Research into preservation in situ has provided considerable knowledge regarding decay mechanisms and the conditions required for organic preservation. Several high-profile studies have highlighted the speed at which loss of archaeological sites can occur if threats to continued preservation are not identified soon enough.

However, for heritage professionals focused on making the best decisions in the face of financial and time constraints, this research can be irrelevant, contradictory or simply impossible to access. At the same time, mechanisms for the public or commercial sector to influence the direction of academic research are severely lacking.

Knowledge exchange (KE) fellowships build relationships across sectors, ensuring that academic research benefits end-users. My KE project examines methods for assessing risks to sites preserved in situ, reviewing and collating existing scientific evidence. By working with heritage professionals to condense this into a useable format, this data can be more rapidly applied in the decision-making process.