Sadie Watson

Sadie Watson is a leading proponent of embedding social value in developer funded archaeology. She is Site Director at Museum of London Archaeology, a UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Leader Fellowship holder, an Honorary Research Associate at the University of York and has played leading roles in the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA). Sadie is not only noted for her work on social value in archaeology, but also in Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in archaeology, and Roman London.

Education Watson was educated at the University of Bournemouth where she received a Bachelor of Sciences degree in Heritage Conservation in 1995. In 2000, she was awarded a Master of Arts (MA) degree in Archaeology and Heritage at the University of Leicester, followed by a PhD at the University of Wales Trinity St David in 2016 for a study of modern theoretical approaches to fieldwork and their relative utility within the pressured commercial archaeological environment.

Career Sadie has been a leading practitioner in field archaeology for more than two decades and has in-depth knowledge of the profession and its pressures. She began working in archaeology in 1995, and has been working at Museum of London Archaeology since 1998. She was made a Project Officer in 2009 in which role she was responsible for major sites with larger field teams, largely on multi-period sites in London. In December 2025 she gave one of the keynote presentation at the Theoretical Archaeology Group annual meeting in York.

Selected publications Watson's publications include: Towards a New Project Design Methodology for Archaeological Projects in England. Value from development-led archaeology in the UK: Advancing the narrative to reflect societal changes Public Benefit: the challenge for development-led archaeology in the UK Whither archaeologists? Continuing challenges to field practice Evidencing and Ensuring Impactful Research from Developer-Funded Archaeology

Awards and honours Watson is an elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA), and has accredited Member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (MCIfA) status.