Personal profile
Research Biography
Mirani is a Lecturer in Archaeology at Flinders University, with research interests in early globalisation, cross-cultural encounters and island and coastal archaeology. Her regional focus is Australia and the Indian Ocean, and she has been involved in research projects from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and the Pacific. Mirani is current Editor-in-Chief of Australian Archaeology and her technical specialty is in archaeomalacology. Prior to joining Flinders University, she held lecturing appointments at the University of Canberra (2020-2021) in heritage studies and at the Nguma-bada Campus (Cairns) of James Cook University (2021-2024), where she co-ordinated subjects on European and coastal and island archaeology. Mirani has published on a number of topics, and co-edited two volumes The Archaeology of Portable Art (2018) and Archaeological Perspectives on Conflict and Warfare in Australia and the Pacific (2022).
Research Interests
- Cross-Cultural Encounters
- Frontier Conflict
- Globalisation
- Islands
- Maldives
- Middens
Career Highlights
Mirani is currently a Chief Investigator on an ARC Discovery Project Before Cook: Contact Negotiation and the Archaeology of the Tiwi Islands, which aims to reconcile divergent narratives of early cultural encounters between Tiwi Island Traditional Owners, Makassans, the Dutch and other Europeans. She is also an editor for the journal Australian Archaeology.
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, Australian National University
Award Date: 16 Dec 2016
Supervision
- Registered
Research Areas
- Archaeology
Supervisory Interests
- Molluscs
- Cross-cultural encounters
- Globalisations
- Islands
- Coasts
- Indian Ocean
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 13 Climate Action
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SDG 14 Life Below Water
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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An archaeomalacological synthesis of people-mollusc engagement across the Coral Sea Cultural Interaction Sphere, Southwestern Pacific Ocean
Kneppers, M. C., Lambrides, A. B. J., Ulm, S., McNiven, I. J., Litster, M., Nguurruumungu Indigenous Corporation & Walmbaar Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, Jan 2026, In: Quaternary Science Reviews. 372, 25 p., 109691.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Downloads (Pure) -
Equity in publication is paramount: Editorial
Ross, A., Litster, M., Monks, C., Urwin, C. & Rogers, A., 2025, In: Australian Archaeology. 91, 1, p. 1-5 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial
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New archaeological discoveries in north-central Timor-Leste indicate sociocultural adaptations to landscape change during the Holocene
Brockwell, S., McWilliam, A., Kealy, S., Litster, M., Cooling, S., Hawkins, S., Langley, M. C., Wolfe, L. & O’Connor, S., 2025, In: Journal of Island and Coastal Archaeology. 20, 1, p. 51-84 34 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)85 Downloads (Pure) -
The Paleolithic in Color: Color and Other Visual Qualities in Archaeological Discussions of Early Symbolic Behavior
Langley, M. C. & Litster, M., 18 Nov 2025, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Topics in Cognitive Science. 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Abrupt onset of intensive human occupation 44,000 years ago on the threshold of Sahul
Shipton, C., Morley, M. W., Kealy, S., Norman, K., Boulanger, C., Hawkins, S., Litster, M., Withnell, C. & O’Connor, S., 22 May 2024, In: Nature Communications. 15, 15 p., 4193.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Citations (Scopus)51 Downloads (Pure)
Projects
- 1 Finished
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Before Cook: Contact, Negotiation and the Archaeology of the Tiwi Islands
Wesley, D. (Chief Investigator (Project Lead)), van Duivenvoorde, W. (Chief Investigator), Wonu Veys, F. (Chief Investigator), Litster, M. (Chief Investigator), Monteath, P. (Chief Investigator), Popelka-Filcoff, R. (Chief Investigator (Project Lead)), Pollard, K. (Chief Investigator) & Nayati, W. (Chief Investigator)
2/11/20 → 31/12/24
Project: Research
Activities
- 1 Editorial work
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Australian Archaeology (Journal)
Litster, M. (Editor in chief)
2024 → …Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial work