Projects per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
Will Megarry is an archaeologist, geographical information systems (GIS) and heritage management specialist with over 20 years commercial and academic experience. He has a particular interest in (and has published widely on) the intersections between cultural heritate and climate change, the application and transferability of geospatial technologies to archaeology and cultural heritage site management and protection. His career has included time in commercial GIS and heritage management consultancy and he has worked at World Heritage Sites and other cultural heritage sites around the world including Petra, Machu Picchu and the Brú na Bóinne. He is a member of ICOMOS Ireland and an Expert Member of ICOMOS-ICAHM.
He is Senior Lecturer in Geographical Information Science in Archaeology and Palaeoecology. He is also an active field archaeologist with an ongoing project looking at Neolithic stone tool production in the Shetland Islands, UK.
More recently, his research has been exploring the intersection between climate change and cultural heritage. He is a Focal Point for Climate Change at ICOMOS and is head of its Climate Action Working Group.
Recent projects include:
- Workshop and training coordinator on the Preserving Legacies: A Future for our Pasts project, which is working with heritate custodians in 10 counties to increase heritage capacity in the face of climate change.
- Principal Investigator on the AHRC-DCMS funded Values-based Climate Change Risk Assessment: Piloting the Climate Vulnerability Index for Cultural Heritage in Africa project, which is providing foundational training in climate vulnerability assessment to heritage professionals in Africa.
- Coordinator of the Heritage on the Edge Project, a collaboration between ICOMOS, CyArk and Google Arts and Culture.
Teaching
ARP 1013 - Introduction to World Archaeology (Contributor)
ARP 2057 - Archaeology in Practice (Module Coordinator)
ARP 2058 - Archaeology of Islands (Module Coordinator)
ARP 3009 - The Archaeology of Ancient Greece (Module Coordinator)
GGY 7007 - Culture and Climate Change (Module Coordinator)
Achievements
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland (FSA Scot)
Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries London (FSA)
Focal Point for Climate Change at the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
Member of ICOMOS Ireland
Expert Member, ICOMOS International Scientific Committee on Archaeological Heritage Management
Secretary, Irish Institute of Hellenic Studies in Athens
Particulars
Associate Director of the Centre for GIS and Geomatics, Queen's University Belfast
Member of the Historic Monuments Council of Northern Ireland (Since 2018)
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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R2794NBE: Landscapes of Production: Understanding the Landscape Context of Felsite Production in Neolithic Shetland
Megarry, W. (PI)
29/04/2021 → …
Project: Research
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R1470NBE: Values-based Climate Change Risk Assessment: Piloting the Climate Vulnerability Index for Cultural Heritage in Africa
Megarry, W. (PI)
12/11/2020 → …
Project: Research
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R8488NBE: The Storegga tsunami c.6150 BC - a wave of destruction and the start of something new?
Megarry, W. (PI)
25/08/2020 → …
Project: Research
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R7455NBE: Hidden Histories: Recording and Communicating Ulster-Canadian Heritage
Megarry, W. (PI)
02/06/2019 → …
Project: Research
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Climate vulnerability assessment of the rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras. A project report
Martin, M., Laurice, J., Paterno, M. C., Megarry, W. & Herrmann, V., Jun 2024, Manila: ICOMOS Philippines. 95 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Open AccessFile14 Downloads (Pure) -
Evaluating climate change risk at Ireland’s Tentative World Heritage Sites
Megarry, W., Daly, C. & Nerguti, A., 01 Nov 2024, In: Journal of Irish Archaeology. 33, p. 159-169 10 p., 7.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile20 Downloads (Pure) -
Preserving legacies: climate risk and resilience in Petra/ صون الموروث المخاطر المناخیة والمَنَعة في البتر
Abdalhaleem, H., Falahat, T., Al Hasanat, M., Bouaziz, K., Sabour, S., Megarry, W. & Herrmann, V., 26 Apr 2024, Amman, Jordan: Petra National Trust. 78 p.Research output: Book/Report › Commissioned report
Open AccessFile30 Downloads (Pure) -
Values, climate change and community - results and lessons learned from the application of the climate vulnerability index in Tanzania and Nigeria
Megarry, W., Downes, J., Bugumba, R., Day, J. C., Mbogelah, M., Odiaua, I. & Heron, S. F., Mar 2024, In: Journal of Cultural Heritage. 66, p. 562-571 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Citation (Scopus) -
Cultural heritage, climate change and disaster risk management
Megarry, W., 27 Dec 2023, Routledge handbook on cultural heritage and disaster risk management. Jigyasu, R. & Chmutina, K. (eds.). Routledge, (Routledge Handbooks).Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (peer-reviewed) › peer-review
Prizes
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Association of Canadian Studies of Ireland Visiting Fellow at Carelton University
Megarry, W. (Recipient), 01 Jun 2019
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
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Fellow of the Higher Education Authority
Megarry, W. (Recipient), 01 Jan 2020
Prize: Election to learned society
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Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Megarry, W. (Recipient), 08 Feb 2018
Prize: Election to learned society
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Global Challenge Research Training Program
Megarry, W. (Recipient), 21 Nov 2018
Prize: Fellowship awarded competitively
Activities
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Climate Change and Cultural Property Protection - A view from the ICOMOS International Climate Action Working Group
Megarry, W. (Invited speaker)
07 Mar 2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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On the Edge: Climate change impacts on Irish coastal promontory forts
Megarry, W. (Examiner)
15 Dec 2023Activity: Examination types › PhD external examination
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Future of island heritage in the face of the climate crisis: the challenges and opportunities of heritage management in the South Pacific
Megarry, W. (Examiner)
06 Dec 2023Activity: Examination types › PhD external examination
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Advisor for Funding Scheme on Climate Change and Archaeological Site Management
Megarry, W. (Advisor)
01 Sept 2023 → 31 Jan 2024Activity: Consultancy types › Contribution to the work of national or international committees and working groups
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Climate Action in the Historical Urban Centres
Megarry, W. (Advisor)
22 Jun 2023Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited or keynote talk at national or international conference
Press/Media
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Sceilg Mhichíl chosen as site for climate change study
14/03/2023
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Digital Preservation of Sites at Risk from Climate Change
15/11/2022
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Ireland's New World Heritage Tentative List
21/07/2022
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Heritage on the Edge - Climate Change and Cultural Heritage
29/01/2020
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment