I studied Archaeology at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne and worked for a number of years at the University of Oxford, where I also held a British Academy Post-Doctoral Fellowship, before coming to Trinity in 1994. I was nominated a Samuel H. Kress Lecturer of the Archaeological Institute of America for 2010-2011. In the Spring of 2013 I held the Frederic Lindley Morgan Visiting Chair in Architectural Design at the University of Louisville, Kentucky. I am a member of the Advisory Board for the journal Nikephoros: Zeitschrift für Sport und Kultur im Altertum. I am also a Corresponding Member of the Archaeological Institute of America.

My research has three main strands, but all stem originally from my interest in Roman construction and building technology. Firstly, I am particularly interested in the quarrying, transport, distribution and use of decorative stones in the Roman world, for which I am compiling a database of all known applications, whether primary or re-use; this will also include ancient source materials as I am keen to identify areas of symbolism in the use of these stones. Secondly, I work on ancient spectacle and the buildings which were developed to accommodate the different types of entertainment; I have particularly concentrated on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean. My third main research interest is urbanisation in the ancient world, and particularly the development of the City of Rome. I am currently working on two major projects: Cassiodorus and spectacle in late antiquity; and the symbolism of Egyptian stones used in the ancient city of Rome.