Dr Nadia Khalaf
Honorary Appointment
Archaeology
Qualifications:
BA (Hons), MSc, PhD
Career:
I currently work at the Met Office in Climate Services Development, within the International Applied Science and Services. In addition, I hold an honorary appointment as a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology and History. I am an Intergoverntal Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II, Chapter Scientist for the Atlas Chapter and Contributing Author to Chapter 2 (Vulnerabilities, impacts and risks) and Chapter 7 (Africa). In 2026, I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA).
My academic career began as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Archaeology at Durham University before I joined the University of Exeter in 2016 as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies. My interdisciplinary research spans archaeology, climate science, geographical information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, with a particular focus on understanding the impacts of climate change on cultural heritage. Prior to joining the Met Office, I was Heritage Lead within Exeter Innovation, where I developed strategic partnerships and led collaborative research and innovation projects with academic, public and private sector organisations.
My field experience includes leading projects, surveys, and excavations across Ethiopia, Benin, and Libya, as well as Tunisia, Russia, and Saudi Arabia. I also have extensive experience in British commercial archaeology. Throughout my career, I have worked collaboratively with a wide range of partners and stakeholders globally, and I value building open, equitable relationships.
I hold a PhD from the Sainsbury Research Unit at the University of East Anglia, an MSc in Geographical Information Science (GIS) from the University of Leicester, and a BA in Archaeology and History from the University of Reading.
In 2023, I was named a Clore Leadership Emerging Leader. I am currently Review Editor on the Editorial Board of Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology in the speciality section on Landscape and Geological Processes.