Dr Madeline McAllister ~ Senior Curator, 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. Forthcoming research projects will involve collections and analysis of shipwreck material.

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

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 (2021) The problem with 'digital realism' in underwater archaeology: photogrammetric digital 3D visualization and interpretation. Journal of Maritime Archaeology, 16. pp. 253-275
• 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 (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.

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