Dr Ellen McAdam

The charitable aims of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq are

to advance research and public education relating to Iraq and the neighbouring countries in anthropology, archaeology, geography, philology and related disciplines within the arts, humanities and social sciences

As a former head of the two largest civic museum services in the UK, I am particularly interested in public education, and in particular in engaging wide and diverse audiences in this country and others with the topics listed in the charitable objects. There are some obvious opportunities: Mesopotamian history features in two places in the National Curriculum, and Birmingham Museums has a substantial collection of Mesopotamian material from sites including Ur, Nimrud and Nineveh. I have a long and successful track record in fundraising for both research and public engagement with the results of research, and I should be happy to put my experience at the disposal of BISI.