Rate My Professor Nathan Richards

Nathan Richards serves as Distinguished Professor in the Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, Professor in the Department of History, and Director of the Program in Maritime Studies at East Carolina University. He received his Ph.D. in Archaeology from Flinders University in 2002, BA (Hons.) in Archaeology in 1997, and BA in Philosophy, Visual Arts, and Archaeology in 1996, all from Flinders University. Since joining ECU in 2003, Richards has taught graduate-level courses in the history, theory, method, and ethics of maritime archaeology, field schools in maritime history and underwater archaeology, and cultural heritage management. From 2011 to 2018, he held a joint appointment as Program Head for the UNC Coastal Studies Institute’s Maritime Heritage Program. Prior to ECU, he worked in cultural heritage management for the state governments of South Australia and Tasmania and participated in field schools at Flinders University and James Cook University.

His research specializes in maritime archaeological theory and method, particularly cultural site formation processes of the archaeological record, alongside interests in 19th and 20th century maritime history, the history of technology, and comparative anthropological approaches to maritime subjects. Key publications include Ships’ Graveyards: Abandoned Watercraft and the Archaeological Formation Process (University Press of Florida, 2008; second edition, Society for Historical Archaeology, 2022), The Archaeology of Watercraft Abandonment (co-edited with Sami K. Seeb, Springer, 2013), and The Garden Island Ships’ Graveyard Maritime Heritage Trail (co-authored with Robyn Hartell, Government of South Australia, 2001). He has published numerous book chapters and articles in prestigious journals such as the International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, Bermuda Journal of Archaeology and Maritime History, and Historical Archaeology. Richards has obtained over 25 external grants totaling more than $1 million from funders including NOAA and the National Geographic Society. In 2025, he was appointed Distinguished Professor for his exemplary teaching, research, and service. He advises on NOAA’s Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, serves on editorial boards for maritime archaeology journals, and holds memberships in professional organizations like the Society for Historical Archaeology and the Australasian Institute for Maritime Archaeology. His contributions have influenced maritime archaeology through innovative studies on shipwrecks, battlefield sites, and cultural heritage across multiple countries.