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Professor Joanna Sofaer

Professor Joanna Sofaer

Professor of Archaeology

Research interests

  • The role of cultural and community assets in health and wellbeing
  • The relationship between heritage and wellbeing
  • The social value of archaeology 

More research

Accepting applications from PhD students.

Email: j.r.sofaer-derevenski@soton.ac.uk

Address: B65, Avenue Campus, Highfield Road, SO17 1BF

Research

Research groups

Research interests

  • The role of cultural and community assets in health and wellbeing
  • The relationship between heritage and wellbeing
  • The social value of archaeology 
  • The past as inspiration for contemporary creative practice
  • Creativity in prehistoric material culture, particularly in the Bronze Age

Current research

Current research focuses on the role of cultural assets in supporting health and wellbeing, working in partnership with young people, health professionals, the third sector and cultural organisations to understand how young people can use culture for self-care to reduce future health challenges. She is PI for the UKRI-funded project Pathways to Health Through Cultures of Neighbourhoods. Prof Sofaer also investigates the role of heritage and the historic environment in wellbeing, the past as inspiration for contemporary creative practice, and creativity in prehistoric material culture. She is PI for Heritage and Wellbeing for NHS Staff (HerWellNHS) funded by Historic England in collaboration with Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, works with the National Trust on the Heritage Perception and Wellbeing project and led Places of Joy: Heritage After Lockdown. She is a member of the Connecting Culture research team (Arts Council England) and Co-Director of the research at the important Bronze Age tell settlement at Százhalombatta, Hungary. She was Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA) Knowledge Exchange and Impact Fellow (2017-2023) and previously led the Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA) project Women at the Edge of Empire and the HERA-Funded Project Creativity and Craft Production in Middle and Late Bronze Age Europe (CinBA)She has partnered on several transnational European projects including Journey to the Beginnings (Culture Europe) and two Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks. She was Co-I for the AHRC funded interdisciplinary PARNASSUS project

Research projects

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