Dr Wallace Law

Grant-Funded Researcher (A)

School of Biological Sciences

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Dr. W. Boone Law is a geospatial scientist and archaeologist in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He works with the University of Adelaide's Spatial Science Group (SSG), where he completed his PhD research on the application of satellite remote sensing and spatial technologies to investigate past Aboriginal land use and archaeological site distribution in the Australian arid zone. His research aims to demonstrate how remote sensing can improve our modelling of past Aboriginal land use practices and archaeological site distribution in Australia’s vast desert regions. Dr. Law has worked as a full-time archaeological consultant since 2001, managing survey and excavation teams in Texas and Australia. Through his close industry relationship and role as a Senior Archaeologist with Scarp Archaeology Pty Ltd, he is an Associate Investigator with Australian Research Council Centre for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH).

In addition to his geoarchaeological research, Dr. Law has volunteered much of his time to mapping the 2020 bushfire impacts on Kangaroo Island. Together, he and Professor Megan Lewis (Dept. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) have advocated for government, industry and research agencies to invest in accessible and easily understood satellite mapping of bushfire impacted areas during the event and beyond. He is part of a University of Adelaide research team led by Professor Bronwyn Gillanders (Environment Institute) studying how the bushfires impacted the island's marine and coastal environment. Dr. Law is also involved with a long-term study using satellite imagery to investigate turbidity and seagrass change along the metropolitan Adelaide region.

My Research
Career
Publications
Professional Activities
Contact

Research Interests:

Multispectral and Hyperspectral Remote Sensing, GIS, and Related Spatial Technologies
Ecological Modelling
Bushfire Mapping
Geoarchaeology
Australian Arid Zone Archaeology
Aboriginal Stone Artefacts and Stone Artefact Analysis
Archaeological Field Methods, including Rockshelter Excavation and Open Site Recording
Scientific Research Design and Technical Report Writing

Awards and Achievements

Date	Type	Title	Institution Name	Country	Amount
2021	Award	APSEA/SSSI Postgraduate Student Award 2020 - Oceanic Region	Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI)	Australia	-
2021	Award	APSEA/SSSI Postgraduate Student Award 2020 - South Australia Region	Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI)	Australia	-
2020	Award	Dean's Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence	University of Adelaide	Australia	-
2015	Scholarship	Faculty of Sciences Divisional Scholarship	University of Adelaide	Australia	-
2015	Scholarship	Constance Fraser Supplementary Scholarship	University of Adelaide	Australia	-
1998	Scholarship	Australian Postgraduate Award (APA) for International Students	Australian National University	Australia	-
1997	Scholarship	Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar	Australian National University	United States	-

Education

Date	Institution name	Country	Title
2020	University of Adelaide	Australia	Ph.D. in Environmental Remote Sensing and Geospatial Science
2004	Australian National University	Australia	M. Phil. in Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology
1997	Australian National University	Australia	Grad. Dip. Prehistory and Archaeology
1996	Texas Tech University	United States	B.A. Anthropology

Postgraduate Training

Date	Title	Institution	Country
2009 - 2009	Geochronology Master Class: Dating Methods and Their Applications in Australasian Palaeoenvironmental and Archaeological Research	Flinders University	Australia
2004 - 2004	Geomorphology and Geoarchaeology for Archaeologists Short Course	Quaternary Analysis Laboratories	United States

Certifications

Date	Title	Institution name	Country
2015	First Aid Certificate (HLTAID001, HLTAID002, HLTAID003)	St. John's Ambulance	-
2012	Mining Safety and Leadership Certification	Aveling	-
2012	Advanced 4WD Certificate (RIIVEH305A)	Getabout Training Services (Provider Code 90547)	-
2010	Undertake Confined Space Rescue	ERGT Skills For Life	-
2010	Enter and Work in Confined Space (RIIOHS202A)	ERGT Skills For Life	-

Research Interests

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Archaeology Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Studies Archaeological Science Archaeology of Australia Ecology Geography Geospatial Information Systems Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing

Journals

Year	Citation
2024	Duxbury, L. C., Johns-Mead, L. Y., Cadd, H., Francke, A., Löhr, S. C., Law, W. B., . . . Tyler, J. J. (2024). Holocene climate and catchment change inferred from the geochemistry of Lashmars Lagoon, Kangaroo Island (Karti/Karta), southern Australia. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 634, 15 pages. DOI
2022	Fernandes, M. B., Hennessy, A., Law, W. B., Daly, R., Gaylard, S., Lewis, M., & Clarke, K. (2022). Landsat historical records reveal large-scale dynamics and enduring recovery of seagrasses in an impacted seascape.. The Science of the total environment, 813, 1-9. DOI Scopus7 WoS5
2021	Law, W. B., Hiscock, P., Ostendorf, B., & Lewis, M. (2021). Using satellite imagery to evaluate precontact Aboriginal foraging habitats in the Australian Western Desert.. Scientific reports, 11(1), 1-14. DOI Scopus2
2020	Law, W. B., Lewis, M. M., Ostendorf, B., & Hiscock, P. (2020). Cover Image. Geoarchaeology, 35(3). DOI
2020	Slack, M., Law, W. B., & Gliganic, L. (2020). The early occupation of the Eastern Pilbara revisited: New radiometric chronologies and archaeological results from Newman Rockshelter and Newman Orebody XXIX. Quaternary Science Reviews, 236, 1-19. DOI Scopus5
2020	Law, W. B., & Slack, M. J. (2020). The Story is in the Rocks: How Stone Artefact Scatters can Inform our Understanding of Ancient Aboriginal Stone Arrangement Functions. Journal of Field Archaeology, 45(2), 106-119. DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2019	Law, W. B., Lewis, M. M., Ostendorf, B., & Hiscock, P. (2019). Reflecting on siliceous rocks in central Australia: Using advanced remote sensing to map ancient “tool-stone” resources. Geoarchaeology, 35(3), 400-415. DOI
2019	Law, W. (2019). Book Review: The Nile Basin: Quaternary Geology, Geomorphology, and Prehistoric Environments by Martin Williams.. Quaternary Australasia, 36(2), 39-41.
2018	Slack, M. J., Law, W. B., & Gliganic, L. (2018). Pleistocene settlement of the eastern Hamersley Plateau: A regional study of 22 rock-shelter sites. Archaeology in Oceania, 53(3), 191-204. DOI Scopus7
2017	Slack, M., Connell, K., Davis, A., Gliganic, L. A., Law, W. B., & Meyer, M. (2017). Post-Last Glacial Maximum settlement of the West Angelas region in the inland Hamersley Plateau, Western Australia. Australian Archaeology, 83(3), 127-142. DOI Scopus8
2017	Law, W. B., Slack, M. J., Ostendorf, B., & Lewis, M. M. (2017). Digital terrain analysis reveals new insights into the topographic context of Australian Aboriginal stone arrangements. Archaeological Prospection, 24(2), 169-179. DOI Scopus8 WoS5
2010	Law, W., Cropper, D., & Petchey, F. (2010). Djadjiling rockshelter: 35,000 ¹⁴C years of Aboriginal occupation in the Pilbara, Western Australia. Australian Archaeology, 70(1), 68-71. DOI Scopus29

Books

Year	Citation
2018	Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (Eds.) (2018). Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia. Summertown, Oxford: Archaeopress Publishing. Scopus4
2018	Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (Eds.) (2018). Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia. Summertown, Oxford: Archaeopress Publishing. Scopus4
2009	Law, W. B. (2009). Measured on Stone Stone Artefact Reduction, Residential Mobility, and Aboriginal Land Use in Arid Central Australia. British Archaeological Reports Limited.

Book Chapters

Year	Citation
2018	Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (2018). An introduction to the Rockshelter excavations at Hope Downs 1. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 3-16). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
2018	Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. (2018). An archaeological review of the Hamersley Plateau. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 17-44). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
2018	Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. (2018). Excavations at Djadjiling Rockshelter (HD07-1A-04). In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 247-286). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing. Scopus2
2018	Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (2018). Research aims and methods. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 53-90). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing. Scopus1
2018	Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. (2018). Excavations at PAD 3 Rockshelter. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 287-314). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing. Scopus1
2018	Cropper, D., & Law, W. B. (2018). Summary and discussion of Rockshelter investigations at Hope Downs 1. In D. Cropper, & W. B. Law (Eds.), Rockshelter Excavations in the East Hamersley Range, Pilbara Region, Western Australia (pp. 435-454). Summertown, Oxford; UK: Archaeopress Publishing.
2008	Law, W. B. (2008). Chapter 3: Archaeological Setting. In B. Houk, K. Miller, & E. R. Oksanen (Eds.), The Gatlin Site (41KR621): Investigating Archaic Lifeways on the Southern Edwards Plateau of Central Texas. Austin: Texas Department of Transportation. DOI
2008	Law, W. B. (2008). Chapter 5: Data Recovery Research Design and Methodology. In B. A. Houk, K. A. Miller, & E. R. Oksanen (Eds.), The Gatlin Site (41KR621): Investigating Archaic Lifeways on the Southern Edwards Plateau of Central Texas (pp. 5-1-5-16). Austin: Texas Department of Transportation. DOI
2005	Law, W. B. (2005). Stone artefact reduction, mobility, and arid zone settlement models: a case study from Puritjarra rockshelter, Central Australia. In C. Clarkson, & L. Lamb (Eds.), Lithics 'down Under' Australian Perspectives on Lithic Reduction, Use and Classification (Vol. British Archaeological Reports International Monograph Series (S1408), pp. 81-94). Oxford: British Archaeological Reports Limited.

Conference Papers

Year	Citation
2018	Law, W., Ostendorf, B., & Lewis, M. (2018). Identifying siliceous ‘tool stone’ resources with advanced remote sensing: a case study from central Australia. In Trans-Tasman Dialogues NZAA and AAA 2018 Conference Programme. Auckland, New Zealand.
2018	Slack, M., Murray, G., Ewan, A., Pervan, J., Law, W. B., Strano, A., & Stevens, G. (2018). Reconstructing a peopled landscape in the Pilbara. In Trans-Tasman Dialogues 2018 NZAA and AAA Conference Programme. Auckland, New Zealand.
2015	Law, W. B., Slack, M. J., Solomon, T., & Long, T. (2015). A Geospatial and Geoarchaeological Site Location Model of Aboriginal Stone Arrangements in the Central Pilbara. In AAA Conference Programme. Fremantle, Western Australia.
2015	Slack, M. J., Gliganic, L., Law, W. B., & Solomon, T. (2015). Pre-Glacial Settlement of the Eastern Pilbara - The Nyiyaparli Rockshelter Research Project. In AAA Conference Programme. Fremantle, WA.
2013	Law, W. B. (2013). Is there a correlation between the emergence of backed artefact technologies and mid-Holocene climate change in the Pilbara?. In AAA Conference Programme. Wollongong, New South Wales.
2009	Cropper, D. N., & Law, W. B. (2009). The Pleistocene Archaeological Record at Hope Downs, Western Australia. In AAA Conference Programme. Adelaide, South Australia.
2009	Law, W. B., & Cropper, D. N. (2009). The Holocene Archaeological Record at Hope Downs, Western Australia. In AAA Conference Programme. Adelaide, South Australia.
2008	Law, W. B. (2008). PAD3 Rockshelter: A Holocene Rockshelter from the Pilbara, WA. In SAA Abstract Archive. Vancouver, Canada.
2004	Houk, B. A., & Law, W. B. (2004). Excavations at 41KR621, a Stratified Site in Kerr County, Texas. In TAS Abstract Program. College Station, Texas.
2000	Law, W. B. (2000). Measuring Stone Artefact Reduction in Central Australia. In NASC Conference Programme. Adelaide, South Australia.
1999	Law, W. B. (1999). Transformations in Stone Artefact Reduction at a Central Australian Rockshelter. In AAA-Mandurah Conference Programme. Mandurah.

Conference Items

Year	Citation
2017	Law, W., Slack, M., Ostendorf, B., & Lewis, M. (2017). Spatial science elevates our understanding of ancient Aboriginal stone arrangements. Poster session presented at the meeting of Abstracts of the 2017 Australian Archaeological Association : Island to Inland: Connections across land and sea. Melbourne, Victoria: Australian Archaeological Association.

Internet Publications

Year	Citation
2020	Law, W. B., & Lewis, M. (2020). I made bushfire maps from satellite data, and found a glaring gap in Australia’s preparedness. The Conversation.
2020	Law, W. B., & Lewis, M. (2020). University of Adelaide Researchers Raise Awareness on the Importance of Satellite Imagery for Mapping Bushfire Impacts. Environment Institute Blog.

Memberships

Date	Role	Membership	Country
2015 - ongoing	Member	Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute	Australia
2004 - ongoing	Member	Society of American Archaeology	United States
1998 - ongoing	Member	Australian Archaeological Association	Australia

Offices Held

Date Office Name Institution Country
2017 - 2019 Secretary Australian Archaeological Association Australia

Date	Office Name	Institution	Country
2017 - 2019	Secretary	Australian Archaeological Association	Australia

Position: Grant-Funded Researcher (A)
Email: wallace.law@adelaide.edu.au
Campus: North Terrace
Building: Oliphant
Org Unit: School of Biological Sciences