I have spent a lifetime investigating ancient people’s perceptions of the sky and the uses they make of what they see there (see my University profile for more on my background and research interests) and still have ongoing projects in Hawai‘i, Peru and the UK. In 2017 I was greatly honoured to be awarded the Royal Astronomical Society’s new Agnes Mary Clerke Medal for a “lifetime of distinguished work in the overlapping areas of archaeology, astronomy and the history of science”. A highlight of my career was being the co-discoverer in 2005 of the 2200-year-old monumental solar observatory at Chankillo in Peru which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021. From 2008 to 2018 I co-ordinated the UNESCO–IAU Astronomy and World Heritage Initiative on behalf of the International Astronomical Union and I continue to advise governments on potential World Heritage nominations relating to astronomy, as well as serving on the IAU's Working Group on Star Names and the IUCN’s Dark Skies Advisory Group.

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