Associate Head of the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences and Academic Lead for Learning and Teaching.

Colin teaches aspects of conflict, environmental and landscape change and development on the geography and environmental science degrees. He has been course director for the Combined Subjects degree programmes, undergraduate Geography programmes, postgraduate maritime archaeology degree and leads the annual 2nd year Geography fieldschool to Scotland and the 3rd year programme to Catalonia.

Research Interests

Colin’s research focusses on historic landscape and societal change, environment and conflict, and the historical archaeologies of past maritime societies. He is currently engaged in research across the Middle East and Africa, as well as across the Atlantic maritime zone of NW Europe.

He is currently leading on an ICS for REF 2028 on nature/ culture approaches towards marine protection in Africa and the Middle East. He is currently PI on the £2m Arcadia funded MarEA project in partnership with Southampton University on documenting endangered cultural heritage across the Middle East and North Africa, and most recently was Co-I on the UKRI Global Challenges RftD programme in East Africa. He is currently working with UNESCO as a high-level expert on Cultural Heritage and climate change adaptation in advance of MONDIACULT and COP 30.

Elected Fellow Society of Antiquaries (FSA) 2006

Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA)

2019-23: Maritime endangered archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (MarEA). Co. PI: C Breen. The Arcadia Fund. £2m (with Southampton University)

2017-2022: Rising from the depths: utilising marine cultural heritage in East Africa to develop sustainable social, economic and cultural benefits. RCUK Global Challenges Fund Co I C Breen £2.4m (led by Edinburgh University)

2017-18 Syria Coastal Heritage Management and Environmental Change. PI C Breen. HFF £68,000.

2013-14 Heritage, Community and Sustainability. PI C Breen. AHRC £79,493.

2013-14 Ulster and Western Scotland heritage and community sustainability. PI C Breen. AHRC £53,082.

2012-15: Climate change, maritime and freshwater archaeology services. PI: C Breen. Co-Is: W Forsythe and R Quinn. Funding: NI Environment Agency. £390,000

2012-13 Community-led heritage knowledge co-production for sustainable development. PI C Breen. AHRC £18,990