Professional biography

David Gregory is a Full Professor at the National Museum of Denmark (NMD) and the Centre Leader for NJORD, specializing in the preservation of submarine and submerged cultural heritage. His academic career, spanning over three decades, is dedicated to understanding the chemical and biological deterioration of archaeological materials, the formation processes of underwater sites and the insitu preservation of underwater cultural heritage.

A central pillar of his work is leading high-impact international research, most notably as the Principal Investigator for the ERC-funded ENDURE project, which focuses on sustainable management of underwater archaeological sites. He has also served as the coordinator for the EU SASMAP project, developing methodologies to survey and stabilize heritage, and as Co-PI for WreckProtect, investigating the impact of climate change on wooden shipwrecks. With over 200 peer-reviewed publications and more than 50 invited keynote lectures, he is a prominent voice in maritime archaeology.

Professor Gregory integrates his academic expertise with extensive field experience as a commercial diver (surface-supplied air and SCUBA) since 1993. Since 2003, he has coordinated all marine archaeological and conservation diving fieldwork for the NMD, leading research expeditions in the North Sea, Greenland, and across Europe.

Beyond research, he serves as a cultural heritage advisor to UNESCO and played a key role in integrating underwater heritage into the UN Decade of Ocean Science. He is also deeply committed to academic mentorship, having supervised numerous PhD and Master students who now hold senior positions in the global heritage sector.