Postdoctoral Research Associate in Zooarchaeology

Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences

This European Research Council funded, full time post is available from 1st April 2023 to 30th September 2024 to support the work of Prof. José Iriarte and Prof. Alan Outram.

The post

Yout will work on the project entitled LASTJOURNEY ‘The End of the Journey: The Late Pleistocene-Early Holocene Colonisation of South America. This is an international, interdisciplinary project integrating a range of state-of-the-art techniques in archaeology, archaeobotany, zooarchaeology, palaeoclimate, ancient DNA to investigate Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene human adaptations and impacts across the diverse landscapes of northwest South America.

The post will include participating and/or directing archaeological excavations directed at recovering bone remains with the project’s collaborators; undertaking analysis of bone remains from archaeological sites and collections; writing archaeological reports and submitting results for publication in several leading international journals; liaising close with the Exeter-based archaeology, palaeobotany and rock art PDRAs to closely integrate zooarchaeological, palaeobotanical and archaeological data; and assisting with the supervision of undergraduate, MSc and PhD student projects and teaching.

About you

You will:

• possess a relevant PhD (or be nearing completion) or possess an equivalent qualification/experience in a related field of study
• be able to demonstrate sufficient knowledge in the discipline and of research methods and techniques to work within established research programmes
• have a strong background in zooarchaeoogy analysis and will contribute to understand the subsistence strategies and human impact on the environments of the Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene of NW South America
• be able to present information on research progress and outcomes, communicate complex information, orally, in writing and electronically and prepare proposals and applications to external bodies.

Field experience in archaeology as well as zooarchaeology laboratory training and analysis (morphometry, SEM, multivariate statistics) is highly desirable.

Please ensure you read the Job Description and Person Specification for full details of this role.

What we can offer you

• Freedom (and the support) to pursue your intellectual interests and to work creatively across disciplines to produce internationally exciting research
• Support teams that understand the University wide research and teaching goals and partner with our academics accordingly
• An Innovation, Impact and Business directorate that works closely with our academics providing specialist support for external engagement and development
• Our Exeter Academic initiative supporting high performing academics to achieve their potential and develop their career

• A beautiful campus set in the heart of stunning Devon

The University of Exeter

We are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of research-intensive universities and in the top 150 universities in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2022 and QS World University Ranking 2022).  

Our research income in recent years means we’re the fastest growing UK Research University with some of the world’s most influential scientists, and we seek to answer some of the most fundamental issues facing humankind today through this. More than 99% of our research is of international quality and our world-leading research impact is growing faster than any other Russell Group university (2021 Research Excellence Framework). We encourage proactive engagement with industry, business and community partners to enhance the impact of research and education and improve the employability of our students. Read about our world leading research – Green Futures and how we are transforming education for a changing world. We are located in a beautiful part of the country and Exeter (a fast growing tech hub) is one of only a few UK cities to have been designated as a UNESCO Creative City .

Further information

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Prof. Jose Iriarte, [email protected] or (01392) 724513.

Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Commitment

With over 27,000 students and 6,400 staff from 180 different countries we offer a diverse and engaging environment where our diversity is celebrated and valued as a major strength. We are committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members of our community are supported to thrive; where diverse voices are heard through our engagement with evidence-based charter frameworks for gender (Athena SWAN), race equality (Race Equality Charter Mark), LGBTQ+ inclusion (Stonewall Diversity Champion) and as a Disability Confident employer. Whilst all applicants will be judged on merit alone, we particularly welcome applications from groups currently underrepresented within our working community. Reasonable adjustments are available for interviews and workplaces.