Dr Esther Breithoff wins Birkbeck’s Tress prize
She has received the 2025 prize for her leading research on conflict heritage and commitment to sustainable, decolonial archaeology.
Birkbeck has announced that Dr Esther Breithoff has been awarded the 2025 Tress Prize. As well as highlighting excellence in research by early career academics, the prize celebrates the legacy of Professor Ronald Tress CBE, a hugely influential economist, who founded the Department of Economics, Mathematics and Statistics and was Master of Birkbeck, from 1968 to 1977.
Dr Breithoff is an archaeologist specialising in the contemporary past, with a focus on conflict heritage. Her research examines the material and ecological impacts of violence in Paraguay, Laos and France, using comparative methods. She promotes environmentally conscious, collaborative approaches that support decolonisation and position archaeology as a tool for repair and justice.
Since joining Birkbeck in 2019 as one of the first UKRI Future Leaders Fellows, Dr Breithoff has secured over £1.1 million in external funding. This includes her UKRI fellowship and a major AHRC-funded collaboration with the Museum of London Archaeology. She also supports early-career researchers in securing their own funding.
Dr Breithoff contributes actively to Birkbeck’s research culture—reviewing grant applications, supervising MA dissertations, and serving on the AHRC Peer Review College. She also took part in the College’s Business Travel Working Group, helping to shape sustainable travel policies.
Her publications include the first book on archaeology in Paraguay and the co-authored Heritage Futures, which has influenced UK heritage policy and international frameworks. Her fieldwork in Paraguay contributed to the creation of Law Nº 5528, protecting conflict heritage sites.
Dr Esther Breithoff commented:
“I am delighted to have been awarded the Tress Prize. It motivates me to keep pursuing my research on the heritage of armed conflict and state violence.”