Joanna Sofaer is Professor of Archaeology at University of Southampton, UK, Humanities in the European Research Area (HERA) Knowledge Exchange and Impact Fellow, and Deputy Director of the Southampton Institute for Arts and Humanities. 

Her current research focuses on the role of heritage in wellbeing and resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic, the past as inspiration for contemporary creative practice, and creativity in prehistoric material culture. 

She has directed and partnered on several high-profile international research projects, and has extensive experience of working with partners in the arts, heritage, and creative industries, as well as civic and regional partners in UK and Europe, bridging academic and non-academic worlds. 

She is author of over 160 publications including Creativity in the Bronze Age. Understanding Innovation in Pottery, Textile and Metalwork Production (Cambridge University Press, 2018), Clay in the Age of Bronze: Essays in the Archaeology of Prehistoric Creativity (Cambridge University Press, 2015) and The Body as Material Culture (Cambridge University Press, 2006).