Professor Charles F. W. Higham ONZM, of Otago University (New Zealand), has been a driving force in Mainland Southeast Asian Holocene prehistory for over 50 years. Such is Prof. Higham’s productivity in this, our shared discipline, it is hard to imagine where we’d be without the efforts of him and his team. Prof. Higham’s career in Southeast Asia began in 1969 with surveys in Northeast Thailand and the excavation of Non Dua and Non Nong Chik, and continued with his zooarchaeological research at a number of important Thai sites during the 1970s. Prof. Higham went on to co-direct major excavations at the settlement and/or cemetery sites of Ban Na Di (1981–82), Khok Phanom Di (1984–85), Nong Nor (1989–92), Ban Lum Khao (1995–96), Noen U-Loke (1999-2000), Ban Non Wat (2002-07) and Non Ban Jak (2011–17). This vast body of work has provided data for Prof. Higham’s 100+ peer-reviewed articles, 100+ book chapters, 30+ books and monographs and countless public presentations. Of course, a great archaeologist is not measured by sites dug and pages written alone, but also by the achievements of their former students and their influence upon their colleagues. In November 2022, it is our opportunity to honour our colleague, mentor and teacher for his outstanding contribution with a dedicated panel at the 22nd meeting of the Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association.

This panel is not and cannot be a like-for-like replacement of the cancelled “Higham2020/21” conference, so papers previously accepted must be reassessed by the IPPA Scientific Committee. If Professor Higham’s research and/or methodology have been influential for your work, then please submit a paper proposition and let us celebrate more than a half century of Southeast Asian historical scientific advances together in Chiang Mai.