Cindy Nelson-Viljoen

Cindy has over 25 years’ experience in archaeology, beginning her career in South Africa, where she completed an MA in Archaeozoology and worked as both an archaeologist and Research Co-ordinator for the Mossel Bay Archaeology Project. This included excavations at Pinnacle Point, now part of a World Heritage Site. She also served as an Archaeology Advisor for the Pinnacle Point Estate, a renowned golf course and home to the Pinnacle Point caves, and as an Archaeology Outreach Educator for the Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex. Cindy went on to complete an MPhil at the University of Edinburgh, focusing on the seasonality of shellfish use through oxygen isotope analysis. Before joining Headland in 2025 as a Post-Excavation Project Manager within the Research and Reporting Department, she held roles as Head of Post-Excavation and Fieldwork Project Manager, overseeing a range of archaeological projects.