Research

The membership of AIMA consists of a wide range of professional and avocational archaeologists, maritime historians, students, historical archaeologists, recreational divers, academics, professionals from related disciplines and individuals with a keen interest in the field.

Many members are actively conducting their own research either as part of their employment, in their own private time, or via collaborative projects with colleagues nationally and internationally. AIMA endeavours to support research conducted within AIMA's interest and objectives and can provide a network of individuals and groups who wish collaborate and provide assistance where needed. To this end, AIMA awards an annual scholarship that is open to all of its members, which provides multiple small grantsor one bigger grant for research projects. AIMA also operates an email listserver where members with an email address can access. Members can post information or questions about their projects to the list, as well as publish a report about their projects in the AIMA newsletter, peer-reviewed Bulletin or Special Publication.

AIMA and its members have been involved in a number of high profile maritime archaeological projects over the past decades. Some of those include: Batavia (1629) off Western Australia, HMS Sirius wrecked near Norfolk Island, HMS Pandora (1791) off Far North Queensland, Sydney Cove (1797) in Bass Strait, Tasmania, Zanoni (1867) in South Australia and City of Launceston (1865) in Victoria.

A recent AIMA-supported project is the Australian Historic Shipwreck Preservation Project: the In-Situ Preservation and Reburial of the Colonial Trader Clarence (1850). AIMA is a Partner Organisation in this Australian Research Council-funded national project and several members participated in the fieldwork and data collection in April-May 2012 which will continue for the three years following.