PDRA in Human Bioarchaeology and Biomolecular Archaeology

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Less than 3 hours north of London, and an hour and a half south of Edinburgh, County Durham is a region steeped in history and natural beauty. The Durham Dales, including the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are home to breath taking scenery and attractions. Durham offers an excellent choice of city, suburban and rural residential locations. The University provides a range of benefits including pension and childcare benefits and the University’s Relocation Manager can assist with potential schooling requirements.

Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.

Durham University’s Department of Archaeology is one of the top departments in the world for the study of archaeology. We are an inclusive, vibrant, and international community, with expertise in wide areas and important strengths in field and landscape archaeology, archaeological science, and museum and heritage studies. We work across five continents, offering research and teaching specialisms in world prehistory, early complex societies, India, Egypt and the Near East, and Eurasia, and in the medieval, historical and contemporary worlds. Complementing our global scope, we host the world-leading archaeology journal Antiquity. 

The ‘Bodies of Water’ project will explore trade-offs in human health in British wetlands during the Roman and medieval periods in times of climatic stability and crisis. Wetlands are essential to the health of the planet, and important contributors to human economies; however, their role in past human health is not well understood. As childhood is a period of heightened sensitivity to environmental stressors, the project will focus on evidence for childhood health using a range of skeletal and biomolecular indicators, disruptions in metabolism, growth, and development, as well as evidence of malarial infection. These will produce unique insights into the risks and benefits of living and working in wetland environments, and will clarify the role of climate in altering their balance. 

Specific lines of investigation include (i) human osteometric, demographic, and palaeopathological analyses; (ii) amelogenin proteomic analysis; (iii) bulk and compound-specific stable isotope analyses of human collagen; (iv) histological analysis of human teeth, (v) metabolomic analysis and high-resolution microscopy, (vi) stable isotope analyses of animal bone for biosphere and palaeodietary reconstruction, and (vii) use of historical and environmental sources and spatial analysis to understand and contextualise wetland skeletal data.  

In addition to cooperation within the UK, the project has collaborative relationships with partners in North America and New Zealand, and seeks to create impacts beyond archaeology with its ambitious range of methods and outcomes.  

• To understand and convey material of a specialist or highly technical nature to the team or group of people through presentations and discussions that leads to the presentation of research papers in conferences and publications.
• To prepare and deliver presentations on research outputs/activities to audiences which may include: research sponsors, academic and non-academic audiences.
• To publish high quality outputs, including papers for submission to peer reviewed journals and papers for presentation at conferences and workshops under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To compile and maintain a database of all published comparative and relevant data for the regions and periods of the project to enable the project data to be contextualised in time and place. 
• To assist with the development of research objectives and proposals.
• To conduct individual and collaborative research projects under the direction of the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder.
• To attend project meetings and liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration. 
• To work with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and other colleagues in the research group, as appropriate, to identify areas for research, develop new research methods and extend the research portfolio.
• To deal with problems that may affect the achievement of research objectives and deadlines by discussing with the Principal Investigator or Grant-holder and offering creative or innovative solutions.
• To liaise with research colleagues and make internal and external contacts to develop knowledge and understanding to form relationships for future research collaboration.
• To plan and manage own research activity, research resources in collaboration with others and contribute to the planning of research projects.
• To deliver training in research techniques/approaches to peers, visitors and students as appropriate.
• To be involved in student supervision, as appropriate, and assist with the assessment of the knowledge of students.
• To contribute to fostering a collegial and respectful working environment which is inclusive and welcoming and where everyone is treated fairly with dignity and respect.
• To engage in wider citizenship to support the department and wider discipline.
• To engage in continuing professional development by participation in the undergraduate or postgraduate teaching programmes or by membership of departmental committees, etc. and by attending relevant training and development courses.   

This post is fixed term for 60 months, which is the full duration of funding for the Bodies of Water project.  

The post-holder is employed to work on research/a research project which will be led by another colleague. Whilst this means that the post-holder will not be carrying out independent research in his/her own right, the expectation is that they will contribute to the advancement of the project, through the development of their own research ideas/adaptation and development of research protocols.

For informal enquiries please contact Dr Ellen Kendall [email protected] ..  All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence. 

We prefer to receive applications online via the Durham University Vacancies Site. https://www.dur.ac.uk/jobs/ . As part of the application process, you should provide details of 3 (preferably academic/research) referees and the details of your current line manager so that we may seek an employment reference.

Applications are particularly welcome from women and black and minority ethnic candidates, who are under-represented in academic posts in the University  .

• A CV and covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;

The assessment for the post will include a short presentation and formal interview. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview and assessment in early November 2022.

Qualifications

• A good first degree in Archaeology. 
• A PhD (or be close to submission) in human bioarchaeology and/or biomolecular archaeology. 
  Experience
• Experience in conducting high quality academic research.
• Demonstrable ability to write material of a quality commensurate with publication in highly-ranked journals.
• Demonstrable ability to present research papers at national or international  conferences and communicate complex information to specialists and within the wider academic community.

• Significant experience of human osteological analyses, including preparation of professional report and publication outputs. 

• Experience of managing large datasets. 

• Experience of working with skeletal archives and archaeological grey literature. 

• Experience of method development and non-standard biomolecular analyses in archaeology human remains. 

• Practical experience and understanding of proteomic and metabolomic methods in archaeology. 

• A working understanding of health and safety in the laboratory including risk assessments, COSHH, and standard operating procedures. 

• An in-depth, working understanding of issues of preservation in archaeological samples, limitations, problems with diagenesis, etc., and the ability to communicate these issues to non-archaeological partners.  
  Skills

• Demonstrable ability to work cooperatively as part of a team, including participating in research meetings.
• Ability to work independently on own initiative and to strict deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

• Data management skills, including familiarity with spreadsheet and database management for large skeletal datasets.  

• Demonstrable skills in radiographic analysis of archaeological human remains. 

• Excellent report writing, editing and presentation skills. 

Experience

• Strong publication record in peer-reviewed journals, commensurate with stage of career.
• A track record of presenting research at conferences, symposia, or meetings, commensurate with stage of career.
• Demonstrable ability to develop research proposals and designs in collaboration with other academics.
• Experience of overseeing students with respect to the development of their practical/research skills e.g. acting as a demonstrator; supervising student projects/practicals.

• Knowledge of the disease ecology and history of Plasmodium vivax malaria in Britain.  

• Familiarity with the material culture and bioarchaeology of Roman and early medieval Britain. 

• Experience of histological methods in archaeological remains. 

• Familiarity with, or willingness to learn, methods of palaeodietary isotope analysis. 
  Skills

• Demonstrable ability to plan and manage independent research. 

• Competence in creation of maps to publication standard (using e.g. QGIS, ArcGIS).