Director
Dr. Jaafar Jotheri
Professor of Geoarchaeology with over 18 years of experience conducting archaeological excavations and surveys across Iraq, focusing on the ancient landscapes of Mesopotamia and how climate has shaped — and continues to threaten — human civilisation.
Born in Babylon, Dr. Jotheri grew up beside the Euphrates River, developing a lifelong connection to Iraq's land and heritage. He holds a PhD in Landscape Archaeology from Durham University (2016) and has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles in leading international journals.
He is currently working in the Iraqi Western Desert, conducting the first archaeological survey of this vast and previously unstudied region — uncovering evidence of human occupation stretching from the Palaeolithic to the Neolithic.
He collaborates with University College London, Durham University, Sapienza University of Rome, the British Academy, ASOR, and the British Institute for the Study of Iraq, among others.