Jack Golson AO was an archaeologist who did extensive fieldwork in the Pacific region. He studied history and archaeology at Cambridge University. From 1954 until he joined the ANU in 1961, he was a lecturer of archaeology at Auckland University. In 1969, Golson was appointed as the inaugural Professor of Prehistory at the ANU. He led the department until his retirement in 1991.

Professor Spriggs is the Professor of Archaeology in the School of Archaeology and Anthropology, College of Arts and Social Sciences at the ANU. Prior to this he was a Senior Research Fellow in Archaeology and Natural History, in what is now the College of Asia Pacific. Before joining the ANU in 1987, he was an Associate Professor in the Anthropology Department of University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu. His research interests are the archaeology of Island Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, and Cornish Studies.