Peter Hiscock

Biography

Peter Hiscock is an archaeologist focused on human technological and social evolution in what is often labelled the ‘stone age’ – the Pleistocene and in some regions the Holocene. Peter is an autistic person, and his interest in finding new and alternative ways to describe and explain the human past is partly a reflection of his neurodiverse awareness that there is significant benefit in scholarship that seeks to critique and revise conventional models. His emphasis on scientific and data driven interpretations may also be grounded in his autistic thinking.

Peter graduated with an archaeology degree from the ANU, then obtained a PhD in Anthropology at the University of Queensland, and subsequently was awarded a Doctor of Science from the ANU in 2012. He taught at University of Queensland, Northern Territory University, the Australian National University, and the University of Sydney. He held a personal chair at the ANU and the Tom Austen Brown chair of Australian Archaeology at University of Sydney.

Peter is currently Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland and Adjunct Research Fellow at Griffith University. His ongoing interest in cultural evolution is now paired with concerns for supporting neurodiverse students achieve their potential.