Raksha Dave

Raksha Dave is a Field Archaeologist, Public Archaeologist and Broadcaster and has recently been appointed as President of the Council for British Archaeology London. Dave's passion for community and the public is reflected in her heritage work when she has developed and managed various National Lottery Heritage funded community projects and is also an advocate and patron for the Young Archaeologists Club.

In 1999, Dave graduated from the UCL Institute of Archaeology, having already excavated on research projects in the UK, Puerto Rico and Texas. In 2000, she secured her first position as a commercial field archaeologist based in London where she worked predominantly on some of the capitals most iconic multi-period archaeological sites. During this time, she worked on various research excavations around the world, including the UNESCO World Heritage Site Catalhoyuk Research Project in Turkey. In 2021, Dave became the President of the Council for British Archaeology.

With experience in the time periods spanning prehistoric to the Second World War, in 2003, Dave was recruited by Channel 4's popular archaeology program Time Team – where she was a regular face on the show until its final episode in 2013. During her ten year stint on the show she excavated well over 100 sites including Westminster Abbey, Holyrood Palace, the D-Day defenses and Normandy.

In between all of her time excavating, Dave realized her passion for working with communities and the public whilst employed by a local authority in London; commissioning, developing and delivering public services in the education sector. This is reflected in her later heritage work when she developed and managed various National Lottery Heritage funded community projects, as President of the Council for British Archaeology (London) and also an advocate and patron for the Young Archaeologists Club. Dave acts as an advocate and consultant for various arts organizations looking to broaden audience participation by looking at ways to encourage diversity and inclusivity in their environments.