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Department of Archaeology

 

Dr Ahmed Mahmoud

Biography

I am a Remote Sensing Geoscientist working at the intersection of landscape archaeology, environmental change, and digital heritage. I am currently a Research Associate on the MAEASaM project, contributing to the development of a Digital Monitoring Framework for Africa.

I hold a BSc in Surveying Engineering (University of Khartoum, 2013), an MSc (University of Nottingham, 2017), and a PhD in Remote Sensing and GIS from Nottingham (2022), where I developed geospatial methods to analyse sand dune dynamics and their impacts on landscapes.

Previously, I was a Research Associate on the Endangered Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa (EAMENA) project at the University of Leicester (2022– January 2026), where I developed the Machine Learning Automated Change Detection (MLACD) tool an open-access, cloud-based framework for monitoring threats to archaeological sites. 

I am also Co-Lead on the AHRC-funded project Adaptations in Human Landscapes Along the Nile (2025–2027), investigating long-term landscape changes in the Dongola Reach, Sudan.
 

Research

My primary research interests centre on applying remote sensing, geospatial science, and machine learning to advance environmental modelling, landscape archaeology, and heritage protection. I am particularly interested in long-term human environment interactions and in understanding how environmental and anthropogenic processes such as aeolian dynamics, urban expansion, artisanal mining, and agricultural intensification, reshape archaeological landscapes over time.

I also have a strong interest in forest monitoring, combating desertification, and analysing sand movement and dune dynamics, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions. Through multi-sensor satellite analysis and time-series modelling, I investigate how environmental change affects both cultural heritage and present landscapes.

By integrating my engineering background with interdisciplinary archaeological research, I aim to develop practical, scalable, and data-driven approaches that support sustainable landscape management, climate resilience, and evidence-based heritage preservation, particularly across Africa and other environmentally vulnerable regions.

Key Publications

Key publications
  • Buzaian A, Mahmoud AMA, Sheldrick N, Alhrari N, Alshareef HH. Assessing the impacts of urbanisation on heritage sites in the Lefakat Region (South Benghazi, Libya): Results of a new remote sensing method and fieldwork. Libyan Studies. 2025;56:128-146. doi:10.1017/lis.2025.10029 
  • Sheldrick N, Buzaian A, Mahmoud AMA. Training, fieldwork and collaboration in a new remote sensing method for heritage monitoring in Libya. Libyan Studies. 2025;56:117-127. doi:10.1017/lis.2025.10028 
  • Mahmoud, A. M. A. (2025). EAMENA Machine Learning Automated Change Detection Training Documentation (v2.0). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17312194. 
  • Mahmoud, A. M. A., Sheldrick, N., & Ahmed, M. A Novel Machine Learning Automated Change Detection Tool for Monitoring Disturbances and Threats to Archaeological Sites. Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment. 2024, 37, 101396. 
  • Mahmoud, A.M.A, A New Method for Heritage Monitoring: EAMENA Machine Learning Automated Change Detection Tool. European Association of Archaeologists. (2024). The European Archaeologist 82, pages 28-34. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15526071. 
  • Mahmoud, A.M.A.; Hussain, E.; Novellino, A.; Psimoulis, P.; Marsh, S. Monitoring the Dynamics of Formby Sand Dunes Using Airborne LiDAR DTMs. Remote Sens. 2021, 13, 4665. 
  • Mahmoud, A.M.A.; A Field Survey of Formby Coastal Dunes using TLS and GNSS, SENSED-the RSPSoc Newsletter, July 2021. 
  • Mahmoud, A.M.A.; Novellino, A.; Hussain, E.; Marsh, S.; Psimoulis, P.; Smith, M. The Use of SAR Offset Tracking for Detecting Sand Dune Movement in Sudan. Remote Sens. 2020,12,3410.

Mahmoud, A.M.A.; Sudan’s ‘Forgotten’ Pyramids Risk being Buried by Shifting Sand Dunes, The Conversation, June 2021, https://doi.org/10.64628/AB.dhep9xuws.

Teaching and Supervisions

Teaching

I have extensive teaching and training experience in GIS, remote sensing, and spatial analysis using ArcGIS, QGIS, ERDAS, and Google Earth Engine at the Universities of Khartoum, Nottingham, and Leicester. I am eager to extend this experience within the McDonald Institute, Department of Archaeology and the MAEASaM project by training relevant stakeholders and heritage volunteers, and teaching and supervising students in the fields of heritage monitoring, landscape archaeology, and digital science.

Job Titles

Research Associate, McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

General Info

Not available for consultancy
Research Expertise / Fields of study
Computational and Quantitative Archaeology
Field Methods
Environmental Archaeology, Geoarchaeology, and Landscape studies
Cultural Heritage

Contact Details

amam8[a]cam.ac.uk
McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research
Downing Street
Cambridge
CB2 3ER
Google Scholar

Affiliations

Person keywords
Remote Sensing
GIS
Landscape Archaeology
Digital Heritage
Environmental Studies
Subjects
Archaeology
Themes
Science, Technology and Innovation
Environment, Landscapes and Settlement
Geographical areas
Africa
Egypt and Sudan
Mediterranean
Periods of interest
Medieval
Other Historical
Post-Medieval

Contact Us

Postal Address:
Department of Archaeology
Downing Street
CB2 3DZ Cambridge

 

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