Autobiography?

I’m trying to write a biography for the i-Science centre’s website. They want something first-person and human. Below the fold is my first attempt. I’m away for the next few days visiting Hadrian’s Wall, so it’ll give me plenty of time to mull. The aim is to sound like an exciting and dynamic individual to set an example and enthuse students into thinking “I want to do that!” I’m used to being an example for younger people but usually the sentence starts “If you don’t behave you’ll end up like…” I am based in the School of Archaeology and Ancient History where people ask me “What is it that you do exactly?” Being involved with i-science has allowed me to look into fields as diverse as ancient astronomy, construction of the mind and toxicology.

My main field of research is ancient cosmology. This isn’t like Paul Abel’s work. Instead I ask questions like “If the Vikings thought their home was made out the testicles of a sky-god, was that an attempt to explain the workings of the universe through a biological metaphor OR did they just really hate living in Scandinavia?” Working with the sciences enables me to have an idea of what the ancient past looked like and how it worked. This helps test which theories are plausible.

I’m also looking at how cultures change and seeing if an evolutionary model can be applied to them. I’m not sure about memes, but I am using a model of extelligence which would be familiar to readers of the work of Jack Cohen who’s on the department’s advisory board.

Travelling as an interdisciplinary scientist I have visited the highlands of Peru and the shores of Sicily. I also discovered an ancient megalith in a peat bog in Northern Ireland after I accidentally set up my Total Station on it. When surveying you want to set up your tripod on somewhere firm, but the only firm place you’re likely to find in a bog is a spot where the peat cover is thinner because there’s a large stone just underneath the surface. —–