Shannon has been instrumental in devising new collaborations between the National Trust and academia, notably with the Cambridge Archaeological Unit and colleagues at the Dept of Archaeology. Her insightful and compelling vision for public archaeology is recognised within the NT, where she is now a National Archaeologist.

The Fenscapes project hopes to work with Shannon on enhanced palaeoenvironmental understanding of the NT’s properties with lowland peat, most notably at Wicken Fen which has both a high public profile and significant, ongoing investment in rewetting and expansion. HRA status at the McDonald Institute would further support her initiative and vision for the archaeology of the region and be of mutual value for the aspirations of the McDonald Institute to act as a hub and catalyst for community-embedded research.