The Sainsbury Research Unit (SRU), based in the Sainsbury Centre at UEA, is a centre for the study of the arts and material culture of Africa, the Pacific region and the Americas.
It has six permanent academic faculty supported by library and administrative staff. Visiting fellows, research associates and postdoctoral researchers working on special projects also contribute to the academic life of the SRU.
It has its own teaching and study facilities and a specialist research library known as the Robert Sainsbury Library, all on hand in the Sainsbury Centre.
Our courses
The SRU offers MA and PhD degrees, with generous scholarships and funding support for students. MRes and MPhil options are available.
It also offers visiting fellowships for postdoctoral scholars and hosts regular conferences, symposia and other academic meetings.
The MA and PhD programmes are intended for those interested in careers in higher education, museums and galleries, publishing, journalism and development.
Our research and teaching
Combining anthropological, art-historical, archaeological and museological approaches, SRU research and teaching are focused on the distinctive cultures of the three regions.
It has a particular focus on how artworks and objects are made, used and circulated – in effect, how they matter to people, both in their original contexts and in the contexts of museums and exhibitions.
As part of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at UEA the SRU contributes to a substantial and lively scholarly community in the Sainsbury Centre.
Our people
Events and News
The 25th Conference of the Archaeological Association of Nigeria (AAN) has recently concluded at the Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. The conference hosted dignitaries and academic personalities across the globe under the theme "Current Trends in Archaeology and Heritage Practices in Nigeria".
The Sainsbury Research Unit (SRU) has a long-standing connection with the Department, and the conference showcased several SRU faculty, alumni, and students. The lead organiser, Professor Abubakar Sani Sule, earned his PhD at SRU in 2013. He was elected new President of the AAN, based on his groundbreaking academic contributions and leadership.
Another SRU alumna, Dr. Bolaji Owoseni, now based at the McDonald Institute in Cambridge, together with one of our current PhD students, CHASE Doctoral Researcher Abdulmalik Abdulrahman Abdulmalik, hosted a session on "Exploring Cultural Continuity and Adaptions: Multi-Disciplinary Insights Into Insecurities and Climatic Crisis in Africa". Their session included 13 papers, with speakers sponsored in order to remove barriers to participation.
SRU faculty member Professor Anne Haour, was awarded with the title of Archaeological Association of Nigeria Fellow. The Association appointed her based on her outstanding contributions to the field of archaeological practice in Nigeria, and in recognition of her services to the development of African archaeology and archaeologists.