MA, MSc, Magistar, PhD

Associate Professor in Archaeological Science, UCL Institute of Archaeology

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA)

Departmental International Students' Tutor

Miljana Radivojević is an Associate Professor in Archaeological Science at the UCL Institute of Archaeology, UK, where she acquired her PhD in Archaeometallurgy. During her previous studies and research posts at the Universities of Belgrade, Cambridge and UCL she has developed a strong research profile in both fieldwork excavations and laboratory analysis of material culture, specifically technology of early metal making. She specialised in the emergence of early copper making in the Balkans before expanding research collaborations across Europe and northern Eurasia, with emphasis on central and southeast Europe, Anatolia, Central Eurasia and China.

She has over 50 research publications, one of which is the Open Access monograph The Rise of Metallurgy in Eurasia (Archaeopress, 2021), the completion of which she oversaw as the lead editor and author. Dr Radivojević is an Honorary Fellow of the Cambridge Central Asian Forum (Jesus College, University of Cambridge), a Member of the British-Kazakh Society Education Board and a Trustee of the Institute of Archaeo-Metallurgical Studies (IAMS) and the British Foundation of Women Graduates (BFWG).

You can find out more about Miljana here.

Ilaria Calgaro, MSc, MSc, PhD

Research Fellow, ERC-funded DREAM Project, UCL Institute of Archaeology, London

Ilaria Calgaro is a Research Fellow at the UCL Institute of Archaeology, London, within the ERC-funded DREAM Project. She earned her MSc in Archaeological Science: Technology and Materials from UCL in 2020 and completed her PhD in 2025, focusing on Bronze Age archaeometallurgy across the 2nd millennium BC Eurasian Steppe.

Before joining UCL, she obtained an MSc in Archaeological Science from the University of Padova (Italy).

Within the DREAM Project, her research explores metal production, exchange networks, and the transmission of metallurgical knowledge across the Eurasian Steppe, with a particular interest in how metalmaking practices and recipes evolved across regions during the Bronze Age.

You can find out more about Ilaria here.

Rebecca Roberts is an archaeologist whose research focuses on the intersections of climate, subsistence strategies, and land use in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages of Kazakhstan. She holds a PhD in Archaeology from University College London, where her thesis examined “Late Bronze to Iron Age Land Use and Subsistence Strategies in the Semirech'ye Region of Kazakhstan.” Rebecca also completed an MLitt in Middle East and Central Asia Security Studies at the University of St Andrews, where she explored the question “How useful is the notion of ‘environmental security’ to Kazakhstan? A case-study of the Ili-Balkhash Basin.” Her academic journey began with a BA in Archaeology and Anthropology from the University of Oxford, with a thesis entitled “The Role of Archaeology in the Development of the Concept of the Nation in Kazakhstan: A Case Study of Archaeological Material in Semirech'ye.”

Her research explores the relationship between climate, subsistence strategies, and land use in the Late Bronze and Early Iron Ages in Kazakhstan through archaeobotanical approaches to the archaeological record (in particular phytolith and faecal spherulite analysis). She is also interested in the political use of archaeology in modern day nation building, community engagement with archaeological research, and cultural heritage management. She is passionate about developing equitable approaches to archaeologial research, including the development of initiatives to support open data acccess and use.

You can find out more about Rebecca here.

Chris Stevens is a Research Associate on the Dream Project at the UCL Institute of Archaeology, specialising in archaeobotany and environmental archaeology. He obtained his PhD from the University of Cambridge and has over fifteen years of experience working as an environmental archaeologist in commercial and academic contexts, including the Olympic Park Project ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

His research focuses on ancient agriculture, the domestication and dispersal of crops, and the transition to farming across Europe, North Africa, East Asia, and Central Asia. He has conducted extensive archaeobotanical studies on vegetational reconstruction using multi-proxy techniques, with particular attention to how human activity shaped ancient landscapes. Chris has worked at several major archaeological sites, including the ancient city of Amarna in Middle Egypt. He has authored and co-authored over one hundred research papers, co-edited multiple excavation monographs, and co-authored Environmental Archaeology: Principles and Practice with Keith Wilkinson.

Within the Dream Project, Chris investigates the environmental impact of ancient metallurgy, exploring the selection and use of wood and alternative bio-fuels such as dung in mining and smelting processes. His work examines how these fuel choices influenced local vegetation patterns, resource management, and the broader development of Bronze Age societies.

You can find out more about Chris here.

PhD in Ancient Egyptian Archaeology and Art History
Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA - UCL)
Certificate of College Teaching Preparation (CCTP - Yale)

Atena Ungureanu is a researcher specialising in Ancient Egyptian Archaeology and Art History, with a PhD from the UCL Institute of Archaeology. Her work bridges archaeological data management, heritage-sector coordination, and the emotional dimensions of ancient visual culture. She has collaborated with institutions across the UK, US, Norway, and Egypt, including the British Museum, Yale University, and the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo. Her fieldwork spans major sites in Egypt, including Thebes, Karnak, and Deir el-Bahari, as well as the Neolithic site of Cucuteni in Romania. 

Atena has delivered university-level teaching across multiple countries and institutions, most recently at Yale University and Los Andes University. Her teaching integrates archaeology with Jungian psychology, affect theory, and intercultural perspectives. She is the author of several forthcoming chapters for the Museum of Cultural History’s “Mummy” Exhibition Catalogue and is co-editing a special issue of CLARA: Classical Art and Archaeology. 

You can find out more about Atena here.