My research focuses primarily on Medieval Archaeology and Castle Studies, and more recently upon Death, Burial and the Funerary Industry, whilst my teaching focuses on Archaeological Practice and Landscape Archaeology. I also have research interests in Ancient Technology, Warfare and Experimental Archaeology, and a professional interest in Archaeological Health and Safety and Professional Practice.

I am currently conducting research on the Archaeology of the Anarchy for a publication examining the castles and structures surviving from one of the darkest chapters in English history, the first English Civil War, c.1139-53 AD.  Whilst, as a former gravedigger, I am acutely aware of the current burial space crisis in the funerary industry in the UK, and am leading a research project examining the oral history of gravediggers and cemetery operatives.

From 2023 to 2025, I am Principal Investigator for a National Lottery Grants for Heritage project examining Anarchy in its various forms, investigating a Norman hunting lodge in S. Gloucestershire, that was attacked and burnt during the anarchy of King Stephen's reign (1135-54), then rebuilt, as well as examining evidence from Prince Rupert's 17th Century Royal Fort in Bristol, and bringing the project up to date with examination of contemporary graffiti in Bristol.

From 2005 to 2019, I was Co-Director of the Berkeley Castle Project, a long-term archaeological research project that conducted annual fieldwork at Berkeley Castle, Glous. The Project’s objective was to build a detailed picture of the history and archaeology of the castle and the associated settlement of Berkeley, and the focus for the project can be described as ‘Minster, Manor & Town’. The project uncovered a multi-period site with archaeological features from every period from the Romans to the (second) English Civil War, with significant evidence of a high-status Anglo-Saxon Minster. I was particularly interested in the transition from the Anglo-Saxon minster landscape to the Norman feudal castle-centered landscape.

Having worked in Contract Archaeology for 10 years before joining the University, I also have a professional interest in Archaeological Health and Safety and Professional Practice.  From 2011 to 2014, I worked with a group of specialists from industry and commerce helping to develop national H&S policy, acting as advisors for the Health and Safety Executive regarding the CDM Regulations and Archaeology. In 2014, I was elected to the Advisory Council for the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and in 2021 gained Membership level (MCIfA) of the CIfA.