Dr Madeline McAllister ~ Lecturer, Maritime Archaeology

Maddy is a maritime archaeologist with a career spanning over a decade working in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and now Queensland. Her research interests revolve around shipwrecks and underwater archaeology in Australasia. She has a passion for wooden ship construction and site formation processes - particularly on reeef environments. Maddy's PhD research explored underwater 3D photogrammetry of shipwreck sites, particularly analysing the implication of theoretical approaches to archaeological visualisation and digital realism, which continues to be a focus of her studies.

Maddy's current position is a joint role with JCU and the Queensland Museum, she manages the maritime archaeological collection housed in Townsville at the Museum of Tropical Queensland. Her research focus covers museological collection and exhibition analysis, archaeological analysis of shipwreck material, and broader aspects of Queensalnd shipwrecks.

In addition, Maddy is a commercial diver and coxswain with a range of experience in maritime heritage management and fieldwork across Australia and the world.

Interests

Professional

• Science communication
• Women in STEM

Research

• Ship construction
• Site formation processes
• Underwater 3D photogrammetry
• Archaeological visualisation
• Climate change and cultural heritage
• Shipwrecks
• Maritime archaeology

Experience

• 2018 to 2019 - Maritime Archaeologist, Heritage Victoria (Melbourne)
• 2014 to 2018 - Assistant Curator/Research Assistant, The Western Australian Museum (Fremantle)
• 2012 to 2014 - Assistant Curator, The Western Australian Museum (Fremantle)
• 2012 to 2014 - Research Assistant, The University of Western Australia (Perth)

Research Disciplines

• Archaeology (4301)

Socio-Economic Objectives

• Expanding knowledge (2801)
• Understanding past societies (1307)

Awards

• 2016 - Women Divers Hall of Fame, Cecelia Connelly Memorial Award for Underwater Archaeology

Fellowships

• 2023 to 2024 - Queensland Smithsonian Fellow

Memberships

• 2023 to 2026 - Director for the international Advisory Board of Underwater Archaeology (ACUA)
• 2019 to 2023 - Senior Vice President, Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology (AIMA)

These are the most recent publications associated with this author. To see a detailed profile of all publications stored at JCU, visit ResearchOnline@JCU. Hover over Altmetrics badges to see social impact.

Journal Articles

• McAllister M, Massey T and Price S (2022) Bursting the bubble: Reflecting on 50 years of maritime archaeological research in Queensland. Australian Archaeology, 88 (3). pp. 299-317
• McAllister M (2021) The problem with 'digital realism' in underwater archaeology: photogrammetric digital 3D visualization and interpretation. Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 16. pp. 253-275
• Philpin A, McAllister M and van Duivenvoorde W (2021) Attempting to Name the Nameless: Copper Alloy Analysis of Artefacts from Unidentified Shipwreck Sites on Greater Detached Reef, Great Barrier Reef. Australasian Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 45. pp. 75-87
• Adams D, Baker P, McAllister M, Winton T and Woods A (2020) Successful Creation of a Photogrammetric Model of the James Matthews (1841) Wrecksite from Legacy Photography. Australasian Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 44. pp. 71-89
• McAllister M (2012) Preliminary analysis of copper alloy fastenings from an unidentified shipwreck in Koombana Bay, Western Australia. Bulletin of the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology, 36. pp. 36-43

Book Chapters

• McAllister M (2020) Modern image-based 3D modelling of shipwreck sites. In: Shipwrecks of the Roaring Forties: Researching some of Australia's earliest shipwrecks. UWA Press, Crawley, WA, pp. 245-252

Other research outputs

• McAllister M (2022) From 'Australia's Titanic' to deadly mutineers: 4 infamous shipwrecks found on the Great Barrier Reef. The Conversation, 4 February 2022.
• McAllister M and Woo M (2021) Small clues, big stories. In: Connections Across the Coral Sea: A Story of Movement.. Queensland Museum Publications, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, pp. 34-37
• McAllister M (2021) Book review of "Our Blue Planet: an introduction to maritime and underwater archaeology" by Ben Ford, Jessi J. Halligan and Alexis Catsambis. Oxford, UK, Oxford University Press, 2020. ISBN: 978-0-19-064992-0. Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 16. pp. 527-529
• Jateff E and McAllister M (2019) What happens now we've found the site of the lost Australian freighter SS Iron Crown, sunk in WWII. The Conversation, 24 April 2019.

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
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