JCU > Research Portfolio > Prof Sean Ulm

About

Distinguished Professpr Sean Ulm MAIATSIS FSA MAACAI FAHA FQA is a professional anthropological archaeologist with core expertise in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander coastal and island archaeology. Over the last 25 years he has led large collaborative networks of Indigenous communities and researchers (archaeologists, geomorphologists, chemists, geologists, ecologists, palynologists, palaeoclimatologists, oceanographers, and zooarchaeologists) to recast understandings of coastal occupation by integrating environmental data with detailed analyses of archaeological sites.

Sean’s research increases confidence in the resolution of data underpinning models of past human behaviour. A major strand of this research has been in the field of archaeological science, where Sean leads a research program designed to improve methods used to establish chronologies and taphonomic sequences (i.e. understanding when and how archaeological deposits form).

He is highly regarded for his coordination of large-scale, multidisciplinary projects in partnership with Indigenous communities investigating people-environment relationships across Australia. His team-based approach to tackling persistent research questions in close collaboration with Indigenous communities, government, and industry, and his multiauthored approach to publication, are hallmarks of his research.

His publications include more than 150 articles on the archaeology of Australia and 5 books. Sean has conducted research in Australia, Honduras, Chile, Papua New Guinea and the Pacific.

Interests

Professional

Equity, diversity and inclusion
Professional development
Benchmarking
Building knowledge communities
Mentoring

Research

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander archaeology
Archaeology of New Guinea and Pacific Islands
Archaeology of the Great Barrier Reef
Archaeological science
Coastal and island archaeology
Radiocarbon dating of marine materials
Indigenous and environmental histories and futures
Cultural heritage management and climate change

Teaching

Improving archaeology teaching and learning
Problem-based learning
Research-led teaching

Experience

2023 to present - Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (Cairns)
2019 to present - Distinguished Professor, James Cook University (Cairns)
2020 to 2022 - Associate Dean Research Education, James Cook University (Cairns, Townsville)
2017 to 2022 - Deputy Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (Cairns)
2021 - Associate Dean Research, James Cook University (Cairns)
2016 to 2018 - Professor, James Cook University (Cairns)
2013 to 2017 - Associate Professor/ARC Future Fellow, James Cook University (Cairns)
2011 to 2012 - Lecturer, James Cook University (Cairns)
2010 to 2011 - Senior Lecturer, The University of Queensland (Brisbane)
2005 to 2010 - Lecturer, The University of Queensland (Brisbane)
1999 to 2005 - Senior Researcher, The University of Queensland (Brisbane)
2000 to 2004 - Lecturer, The University of New England (Brisbane)
1993 to 1998 - Researcher, The University of Queensland (Brisbane)

Research Disciplines

Socio-Economic Objectives

Honours

Awards

2022 - High Performance Computing Innovation Excellence Award
2019 - JCU Distinguished Professor
2017 - Rhys Jones Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Australian Archaeology
2014 - The Bruce Veitch Award for Excellence in Indigenous Engagement
2008 - Life Membership for Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Archaeological Association Inc.
2007 - Martin Davies Award for Best Public Archaeology Initiative
2004 - Dean’s Commendation for Outstanding Research Higher Degree Thesis, The University of Queensland
2000 - Royal Society of Queensland – Colliver Prize
1995 - University Medal, The University of Queensland

Fellowships

2023 - Fellow, Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences
2015 - Fellow, Australian Academy of the Humanities
2011 - Fellow, Cairns Institute
2011 - Fellow, Society of Antiquaries of London
2007 - Honorary Research Fellow, Queensland Museum
2017 to 2019 - Honorary Fellow, School of Social Sciences, The University of Western Australia
2013 to 2017 - Future Fellow, Australian Research Council
2011 to 2014 - Honorary Senior Fellow, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, The University of Queensland

Memberships

2018 - International Council for Archaeozoology
2017 - Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology (CAA) Australia Inc.
2014 - The Prehistoric Society
2011 - Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science
2011 - Centre for Language and Culture Research
2006 - Society for American Archaeology
2003 - Archaeological and Anthropological Society of Victoria
2002 - Australasian Society for Historical Archaeology
2002 - Australasian Quaternary Association
2002 - Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association
2001 - Australian Association of Consulting Archaeologists Inc.
2000 - Royal Society of Queensland
1998 - Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies
1989 - Australian Archaeological Association

Other

2023 - Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures
2022 - Member, Australian Museum Research Institute Science Advisory Board
2021 - Research Integrity Advisor, James Cook University
2020 - Editor-In-Chief, Australian Archaeology
2019 - Member, Council Australian Academy of the Humanities
2017 - Theme Leader, Cultural and Linguistic Transformations, The Cairns Institute
2014 - Editorial Board, Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society
2013 - Editorial Board, The Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology
2010 - Editorial Board, Queensland Historical Atlas
1999 - Editor-In-Chief, Queensland Archaeological Research
2018 to 2023 - Chair, Scientific Committee, International Council of Archaeozoology Conference (7-12 August 2023)
2021 to 2022 - Associate Dean Research, College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University
2017 to 2022 - Deputy Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage
2020 to 2021 - Associate Dean Research Education, James Cook University
2018 - Member, 2018 Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) Research Evaluation Committee (REC) for Humanities and Creative Arts Committee (HCA)
2015 to 2016 - Deputy Chair, Humanities and Creative Arts (HCA), Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Experts
2013 to 2016 - Fellow, Australian Research Council (ARC) College of Experts
2012 to 2016 - Deputy Director, Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science, James Cook University
2006 to 2015 - Member, World Archaeological Congress Code of Ethics Committee
2011 to 2014 - Editorial Advisory Board, Australian Archaeology
2011 to 2013 - National Chair, Australian National Committee for Archaeology Teaching and Learning
2003 to 2013 - Representative, Southeastern Asia and the Pacific, World Archaeological Congress
2011 to 2012 - Convenor, Archaeology and Geoscience Specialist Committee, Australian Institute of Nuclear Sciences and Engineering
2006 to 2011 - Editor, Australian Archaeology
2008 to 2010 - Member, Archaeology and Geoscience Specialist Committee, Australian Institute of Nuclear Sciences and Engineering
2003 to 2008 - Managing Editor, The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education
2002 to 2003 - President, Australian Archaeological Association

Publications

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

Bradshaw C, Crabtree S, White D, Ulm S, Bird M, Williams A and Saltré F (2023) Directionally supervised cellular automaton for the initial peopling of Sahul. Quaternary Science Reviews, 303.
Kowal E, Weyrich L, Argüelles J, Bader A, Colwell C, Cortez A, Davis J, Figueiro G, Fox K, Malhi R, Matisso-Smith E, Nayak A, Nelson E, Nicholas G, Nieves-Colón M, Russell L, Ulm S, Vergara-Silva F, Villanea F, Wagner J, Yracheta J and Tsosie K (2023) Community partnerships are fundamental to ethical ancient DNA research. Human Genetics and Genomics Advances, 4 (2).
Linnenlucke L, Bird M, Petchey F, Alliston G, Mcniven I, David B and Ulm S (2023) Assessing the Reliability of a Small-Scale Legacy Radiocarbon Dataset Using Chronometric Transparency Approaches: Torres Strait Radiocarbon Database. Journal of Open Archaeology Data, 11 (2). pp. 1-9
Monks C, Stannard G, Ouzman S, Manne T, Garside J and Ulm S (2023) Why do students enrol in archaeology at Australian universities? Understanding pre-enrolment experiences, motivations, and career expectations. Australian Archaeology, 89 (1). pp. 32-46
Rivera-Araya M, Rowe C, Ulm S and Bird M (2023) A 33,000-year paleohydrological record from Sanamere Lagoon, north-eastern tropical savannas of Australia. Quaternary Research, 113. pp. 146-161
Saktura W, Rehn E, Linnenlucke L, Munack H, Wood R, Petchey F, Codilean A, Jacobs Z, Cohen T, Williams A and Ulm S (2023) SahulArch: A geochronological database for the archaeology of Sahul. Australian Archaeology, 89 (1). pp. 1-13
Bird M, Haig J, Ulm S and Wurster C (2022) A carbon and nitrogen isotope perspective on ancient human diet in the British Isles. Journal of Archaeological Science, 137.
Codilean A, Munack H, Saktura W, Cohen T, Jacobs Z, Ulm S, Hesse P, Heyman J, Peters K, Williams A, Saktura R, Rui X, Chishiro-Dennelly K and Panta A (2022) OCTOPUS database (v.2). Earth System Science Data, 14. pp. 3695-3713
Ditchfield K, Ulm S, Manne T, Farr H, O'Grady D and Veth P (2022) Framing Australian Pleistocene coastal occupation and archaeology. Quaternary Science Reviews, 293.
McCarthy J, Wiseman C, Woo K, Steinberg D, O'Leary M, Wesley D, Brady L, Ulm S and Benjamin J (2022) Beneath the Top End: a regional assessment of submerged archaeological potential in the Northern Territory, Australia. Australian Archaeology, 88 (1). pp. 65-83
Rehn E, Rowe C, Ulm S, Woodward C, Zawadzki A, Jacobsen G and Bird M (2022) Integrating charcoal morphology and stable carbon isotope analysis to identify non-grass elongate charcoal in tropical savannas. Vegetation History and Archaeobotany, 31 (1). pp. 37-48

Book Chapters

Asmussen B, Faulkner P, Szabó K and Ulm S (2022) The molluscan remains of Tanamu 1: Subsistence and resource habitats. In: The Archaeology of Tanamu 1: A Pre-Lapita to Post-Lapita Site from Caution Bay, South Coast of Mainland Papua New Guinea. Caution Bay Studies in Archaeology, 2. Archaeopress, Oxford, United Kingdom, pp. 107-116

More: ResearchOnline@JCU stores 178+ research outputs authored by Prof Sean Ulm from 1995 onwards.

Current Funding

Current and recent Research Funding to JCU is shown by funding source and project.

Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage - CABAH Cadetship Scheme

CABAH Cadetship Scheme: Research management cadetship

Indicative Funding: $48,290 over 1 year
Summary: Magdalena will be trained in research management at the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC), a non-profit organisation in Cairns. She will gain experience in research-informed conservation, government policy development, and community economic development in the tropics (Northern Australia, the Torres Strait Islands, and Papua New Guinea).
Investigators: Magdalena Bunbury, Sean Ulm and Michael Bird (College of Arts, Society & Education and College of Science & Engineering)
Keywords: Research management

Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage - CABAH Cadetship Scheme

CABAH Cadetship Scheme: Stable Isotope Analysis

Indicative Funding: $49,524 over 1 year
Summary: The cadetship will consist of working in the Environmental Radioactivity Measurement Centre at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) facility to gain experience in stable isotope analysis.
Investigators: Lauren Linnenlucke and Sean Ulm (College of Arts and Society & Education)
Keywords: Stable Isotope Analysis

Australian Research Council - Centres of Excellence

ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage

Indicative Funding: $5,028,138 over 7 years (administered by University of Wollongong), in partnership with Flinders University ($10,000); Monash University ($14,299) and University of Wollongong ($5,000)
Summary: This Centre will create a world-class interdisciplinary research programme to understand Australia's unique biodiversity and heritage. The Centre will track the changes to Australia's environment to examine the processes responsible for the changes and the lessons that can be used to continue to adapt to Australia's changing environment. The Centre will support connections between the sciences and humanities and train future generations of researchers to deal with future global challenges and inform policy in an interdisciplinary context.
Investigators: Richard Roberts, Susan O'Connor, Zenobia Jacobs, Timothy Cohen, Simon Haberle, Michael Bird, Sean Ulm, Chris Turney, Martin Nakata, Darren Curnoe, Corey Bradshaw, Bruno David, Lynette Russell, Barry Brook and Chris Johnson in collaboration with Brit Asmussen, Geraldine Mate, Michael Slack, Jean-Jacques Delannoy, Matthew Leavesley, Stephan Stephan, Michael Storey, Kieren Mitchell, Vera Weisbecker and Janelle Stevenson (University of Wollongong, Australian National University, College of Science & Engineering, College of Arts, Society & Education, The University of New South Wales, Indigenous Education & Research Centre, University of Adelaide, Monash University, University of Tasmania, Queensland Museum, Scarp Archaeology Pty Ltd, Universite Savoie Mont Blanc, University of Papua New Guinea, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Australian Museum and Flinders University)
Keywords: Sahul; palaeoenvironments; Climate; archaeology; megafauna

Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage - Legacy Grants Scheme

SahulSED Radiocarbon, SahulCHAR, and OCTOPUS Future Proofing

Indicative Funding: $85,000 over 1 year
Summary: The project will engage a full-time postdoctoral fellow for 12 months to compile fire proxy data for the new data collection SahulCHAR, to oversee the data collection of environmental radiocarbon ages for SahulSED, and to lead the development of resources for the maintenance and community-led updates of these collections. The postdoctoral fellow will lead the E&E activities and support the RT&E activities described below and will update existing collections as needed. Results will be included in a series of planned papers to coincide with the launch of the new collections.
Investigators: Haidee Cadd, Timothy Cohen, Sean Ulm, Michael Bird, Scott Mooney, Annika Herbert, Henry Munack, Alexandru Codilean, Janelle Stevenson, Simon Haberle, Corey Bradshaw, Zoe Thomas, Shane Ingrey, Fiona Petchey and Jonathan Tyler (The University of New South Wales, University of Wollongong, College of Arts, Society & Education, College of Science & Engineering, Australian National University, Flinders University and University of Adelaide)
Keywords: Radiocarbon; fire history

Australian Research Council - Linkage - Infrastructure (L-IEF)

Microanalytical Facility Supporting Resources Development and Manufacturing

Indicative Funding: $806,355 over 1 year (administered by University of Queensland)
Summary: The project aims to establish a state-of-the-art electron probe microanalysis facility enabling accurate chemical analysis to be undertaken at the micro-scale. It is expected to provide new knowledge and support applied research on a range of natural, synthetic and processed materials that will deeply impact advancements in the fields of metals processing and recycling, Earth and environmental science, and the development of materials for a healthier society. It will support ARC funded and industry engaged research enhancing the minerals exploration, mining and metallurgical industries and inform sustainable practice. It will also provide the key research infrastructure to enhance Australia?s research leadership in these fields.
Investigators: Jak Evgueni, Peter Hays, Rick Valenta, Teresa Ubide, Kazuhiro Nogita, Paul Dirks, Michael Bird, Kevin Blake and Sean Ulm (The University of Queensland, College of Science & Engineering, Research Infrastructure, College of Arts and Society & Education)
Keywords: Mining exploration; Geology; Geochemistry; Archaeology; Critical Minerals; Mining Engineering

Lizard Island Research Station - Doctoral Fellowship

Constructed Seascapes of the Lizard Island Group, Far North Queensland

Indicative Funding: $6,400 over 1 year
Summary: This research investigates the distribution and construction of Indigenous stone arrangements in the Lizard Island Group, far North Queensland. Previous intensive pedestrian surveys of the islands have identified almost 1000 stone arrangements, with an additional 200 recorded during the recently completed 2021 season. Interpreting the distribution and construction of these stone arrangements will be undertaken on a cultural landscape scale to interpret the organisation of socio-religious activities on within the Lizard Island Group.
Investigators: Joshua Connelly and Sean Ulm (College of Arts and Society & Education)
Keywords: Archeology; Stone Arrangements; Great Barrier Reef; Cultural Landscape

Lizard Island Research Station - Sir John & Laurine Proud Research Fellowship

Understanding long-term Indigenous uses of the Great Barrier Reef: Re-excavating the Freshwater Bay Midden, Lizard Island

Indicative Funding: $15,000 over 1 year
Summary: This project aims to document Aboriginal Late Holocene use of Great Barrier Reef offshore islands through the re-excavation of Freshwater Bay Midden on Lizard Island. After extensive physical surveys and recording of cultural places across the Lizard Island Group over the past decade it has been determined that Freshwater Bay Midden is the only remaining site with significant sub-surface deposits intact that has not yet been excavated using modern archaeological techniques. Expected outcomes include a comprehensive framework from which to consider offshore island use in northeast Australia, as well as documenting the dynamic history of Lizard Island occupation.
Investigators: Ariana Lambrides, Sean Ulm, Ian McNiven and Fiona Petchey (College of Arts, Society & Education, Monash University and University of Waikato)
Keywords: Archeology; Great Barrier Reef; Indigenous fishing and foraging practice

Australian Research Council - Discovery - Projects

The Deep History of Sea Country: climate, sea level and culture

Indicative Funding: $60,000 over 3 years (administered by Flinders University)
Summary: This is a pioneering, multi-disciplinary study of submerged landscape archaeology in Australia designed to investigate the records of the now-submerged Pilbara coast (spanning 50,000 to 7000 years ago). Information from drowned contexts will help address critical debates in Australian prehistory relating to past sea-level rise, population resilience, mobility, and diet. The project integrates cultural and environmental studies and contributes a unique southern hemisphere insight into world prehistory through material analysis and an adaptation of method from the world?s only confirmed submarine middens. A suite of cutting edge marine and aerial survey techniques will be developed to investigate physical and cultural submerged landscapes.
Investigators: Jonathan Benjamin, Sean Ulm, Peter Veth, Jorg Hacker and Michael O'Leary in collaboration with Geoffrey Bailey and Mads Holst (Flinders University, College of Arts, Society & Education, The University of Western Australia, University of York and Aarhus Universitet)
Keywords: submerged archaeology; Maritime Archaeology; shell middens; Indigenous Australian archaeology; Coastal Archaeology

Supervision

Advisory Accreditation: I can be on your Advisory Panel as a Primary or Secondary Advisor.

These Higher Degree Research projects are either current or by students who have completed their studies within the past 5 years at JCU. Linked titles show theses available within ResearchOnline@JCU.

Current

Ancient ceramics at Vilabouly: pottery production and society in Laos (PhD , Secondary Advisor)
Palaeolandscapes and the Archaeological implications of Changing Landscapes and Seascapes in the Torres Strait (PhD , Primary Advisor)
Kaiadilt Country: A Remote Sensing Approach to Documenting Long-Term Aboriginal land management technologies (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
Understanding Kwokkunum Shell Mounds as Landscape Engineering: A Spatial and Temporal Archaeological approach (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
Investigating Constructed Seascapes in the Lizard Island Group, Far North Queensland. (PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
Millenial-scale Variability in Lizard Island Group Mollusc Exploitation: Studying Mollusc remains to understand Past Aboriginal Shellfishing practices and Reef Resource use for Future Reef Conservation (PhD , Secondary Advisor)

Completed

Fire and environmental change in northern Australian savannas during the Holocene (2020, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
A Grammar of Brokpa: a Trans-Himalayan language of Bhutan (2021, PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
Multi-proxy evidence of long-term environmental change in northern Australia's tropical savannas (2021, PhD , Secondary Advisor)
A grammar of Doromu-Koki: a Papuan language of Papua New Guinea (2022, PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
Chronological modelling of the Torres Strait: a re-evaluation of occupation trends, and expansion of village and ritual sites (2022, PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)
Reappraising the land -Patrick White's landscape legacy and its afterlives (2023, PhD , Advisor Mentor)
The cyclone written into our place: the cyclone as trope of apocalypse and place in Queensland literature (2018, PhD , Advisor Mentor)
Old Smithfield Township, Cairns, 1876-1879: Revealing the Material Life of a Nineteenth Century Community in Tropical North Queensland (2023, PhD , Primary Advisor/AM/Adv)

Data

These are the most recent metadata records associated with this researcher. To see a detailed description of all dataset records, visit Research Data Australia.

Kenady, S. (2016) Thundiy and Cairns experimental site, survey data: ground-penetrating radar and electrical resistivity. James Cook University
Twaddle, R. (2016) Temperature data from Mirdidingki Creek, Bentinck Island, June 2013 - July 2014. James Cook University
Ulm, S. (2012) Index of Dates from Archaeological Sites in Queensland data. James Cook University

Collaboration

The map shows research collaborations by institution from the past 7 years.
Note: Map points are indicative of the countries or states that institutions are associated with.