Dr Cunliffe research interests focus on the types of damage sustained by archaeological sites in the Middle East in peace and war, and developing ways of identifying and recording the threats using satellite imagery and social media, to help develop ways of better protecting sites. This work has primarily focused on Syria and Iraq. As a part of this, she is interested in civil-military relations before, during, and after conflict, and in the way heritage can be used in peacebuilding, and in post-conflict scenarios.
Dr Cunliffe is also a member of the UK Committee of the Blue Shield, a charity working to protect archaeological sites from conflict and natural disasters, and a volunteer for the NGO Heritage for Peace.