Sharjah: The Government of Sharjah has officially announced five international awardees of the prestigious Faya Research Grant Programme. Leading universities in the UAE, UK, US, Germany, and Spain have been selected following a rigorous scientific review process that attracted 49 applications from reputable universities and research centres across four continents.
According to Emirates News Agency, the AED2 million programme was established to advance scientific research into early human occupation, migration, environmental change, and adaptation in Arabia through long-term archaeological and palaeoenvironmental investigation. The programme was launched following the inscription of the Faya Palaeolandscape on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is administered by the World Heritage Office at the Sharjah Archaeology Authority (SAA) in coordination with the Faya World Heritage Property Scientific Committee. The programme comprises one long-term research grant, six short-term scientific grants, and a dedicated mentoring fellowship track for Emirati archaeologists.
Announcing the selected projects, Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Ambassador of the Faya World Heritage Property, highlighted the quality and diversity of applications received from multiple regions, reflecting the growing scientific importance of Faya within international archaeological research. The selected projects were chosen for their methodological rigor, originality, and long-term scholarly value, and their ability to strengthen the scientific foundations of the World Heritage Property.
The programme's flagship long-term grant was awarded to Professor David Thomas of the University of Oxford for the project FAYA-PAST: Faya Palaeolandscape Analysis and Spatio-Temporal Evolution. This three-year project aims to establish the first comprehensive environmental framework for Jebel Faya across the past 200,000 years using satellite analysis, ground-penetrating radar, field survey, and advanced dating techniques.
At the Mohamed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dr Mohamed Almarri, alongside co-investigator Professor Simon Underdown, Oxford Brookes University, UK, will lead (FAYA-GENOME) Ancestry, Kinship, and Adaptation: A Paleogenomic Reconstruction of the Faya Palaeolandscape. The 2026 project combines ancient DNA from burials with sedimentary DNA to map the ancestry, kinship, and social structures of early communities.
Professor Lesley A. Gregoricka of the University of South Alabama will lead the (FAYA-ISCOSCAPE) Faya Strontium Isoscape Project in 2026, establishing the first regional strontium isotope baseline for southeastern Arabia. This will provide insights into how Neolithic populations adapted to and moved through desert landscapes.
For the 2027 Faya Short-Term Grants, the Faya Scientific Committee awarded Dr Nuria Sanz Gallego of the University of Tubingen for (FAYA-GLOBAL) Human Evolution, Migration, Adaptation and PalaeoScapes Platform for the Faya Palaeolandscape. This project aims to establish an international cooperation platform linking Faya with key UNESCO-aligned sites across Africa.
Meanwhile, Dr Andrea Guerrero of Universidad Nacional de Educaci³n a Distancia will lead (FAYA-LITHIC) Lithic Landscapes of Sharjah: A Multiscalar Geological Framework for Jebel Faya. This project will develop a detailed geological framework linking stone resource distribution to early human behaviour.
The Faya Grant Scientific Committee has also awarded the Faya Mentoring Fellowship Grants to three exceptional young Emirati heritage professionals. The programme provides a structured international training pathway, including workshops and field training at the Faya UNESCO World Heritage Property.
The selected projects will commence between 2026 and 2027 and are expected to produce significant scientific resources supporting future archaeological research and heritage management at Faya.
