Dr. Michelle Comber's research interests lie mainly in the archaeology of Ireland’s Early Medieval period, especially its fine metalwork, economy and settlement.

Michelle is a graduate of the Department of Archaeology, NUI, Galway, having completed her primary degree in 1994 (in English and Archaeology), Masters degree in 1996 as an NUI Galway fellow (examining the production of fine metalwork in Early Medieval Ireland) and PhD in 2000 as one of the first IRCHSS scholars (exploring the economy of native Early Medieval settlement in Ireland). She then held a one-year post-doctoral research post at the Centre for the Study of Human Settlement and Historical Change (now the Moore Institute) at NUI, Galway, and has nearly 20 years excavation experience. She has been tutoring and lecturing part-time with the Archaeology department at NUI, Galway since 1994, and is currently course manager for the department’s evening diplomas in archaeology. She is also Academic Co-ordinator of the Irish Studies Online programme, a series of web-based courses in Irish Studies developed by NUI, Galway in conjunction with Regis University, Denver, Colorado. Michelle’s current research project is examining the archaeological landscape of the Burren, Co. Clare, with excavations ongoing at Caherconnell in the heart of the Burren (where she is director of an international field school, the Caherconnell Archaeological Field School). Public lectures have been given throughout Ireland, Scotland and the USA. She is a member of Galway County Heritage Forum, external referee for the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, and sits on the Council of the Discovery Programme. She has published two monographs based on her MA and PhD theses (2004 Native Evidence of Non-ferrous Metalworking in Early Historic Ireland. BAR International Series 1296, Oxford and 2008 The Economy of the Ringfort and Contemporary Settlement in Early Medieval Ireland. BAR International Series 1773, Oxford), contributed chapters to a number of books, and written articles for academic and popular publications such as the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy (e.g. 2010, with Graham Hull, ‘Excavations at Caherconnell Cashel, the Burren, Co. Clare. Implications for Cashel Chronology and Gaelic Settlement.’ PRIA 110C, 133-73), the Journal of Irish Archaeology, and Archaeology Ireland. Since 2003, Michelle has won over €250,000 in research grants from the Heritage Council, INSTAR (as joint Principal Investigator), and the Royal Irish Academy.