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Oliver Craig is Professor of Archaeological Science and Deputy Head of Department in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York, where he also directs the BioArCh facility. He obtained his first degree in Biochemistry and Genetics from the University of Nottingham, followed by an MSc in Osteology, Palaeopathology and Funerary Archaeology from the University of Sheffield and a PhD in Organic Geochemistry from Newcastle University. After completing post-doctoral positions, he held a Marie Curie Fellowship at the University of Rome II 'Tor Vergata' focused on ancient DNA before joining York in 2007; he was promoted to Professor in 2016. He received a JSPS visiting professorship at the Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties in Japan in 2020 and serves as an honorary researcher at the British Museum.
Professor Craig specialises in biomolecular archaeology, applying techniques such as stable isotope analysis and organic residue analysis to investigate prehistoric diets, cuisine, subsistence practices and their broader impacts. His research has examined materials from sites across the UK, Central and Eastern Europe, and coastal regions of the Atlantic, Baltic and Mediterranean, with particular emphasis on the earliest uses of pottery in regions including North America, East Asia and Europe. He has led or participated in numerous externally funded projects, supervised dozens of doctoral students and hosted multiple Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellows. In 2025 he was awarded an ERC Synergy Grant as part of a major international collaboration examining hunter-gatherer population dynamics. He holds additional roles on university research committees and is a founding member and former secretary of the International Society of Biomolecular Archaeology.
Microscopic analysis of ancient European pottery reveals complex Stone Age stews with plants, seeds, and toxic berries mixed with fish, led by University of York researchers.
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