Research Assistant – AHRC Peopling of the Tularosa Basin (Palaeoenvironments) (Fixed-Term)

Bournemouth University’s vision is worldwide recognition as a leading university for inspiring learning, advancing knowledge, and enriching society through the fusion of education, research and practice. Our highly skilled and creative workforce is comprised of individuals drawn from a broad cross section of the globe, who reflect a variety of backgrounds, talents, perspectives and experiences that help to build our global learning community.

The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) has awarded a grant to the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (Faculty of Science and Technology) entitled: Peopling of the Tularosa playa during the Last Glacial Maximum.  This follows the discovery of ancient human footprints within this basin.

The research team seeks a talented individual who can support across a range of activities focused on reconstructing the paleoenvironments at White Sands National Park and at other footprint locations across the American Southwest. White Sands National Park (WHSA) has the largest known concentration of fossil Pleistocene footprints in the Americas. Recent dating has shown that human visitation occurred as early as the Last Glacial Maximum. This is an unparalleled archive documenting early human presence and their co-existence with extinct megafaunal. However, these prints are fragile, and this evidence is eroding fast.  With funding from the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council this three-year project aims to document and preserve this eroding resource.  Extensive documentation of excavations and natural sections has and is being undertaken both at White sands and adjacent sites to build up a picture of the past environments. We are using biomarkers, ostracods, and pollen, but are also keen to explore other potential proxies. The post-holder will get involved in this work supporting fieldwork in New Mexico, laboratory analysis in the UK and there will be opportunities for short secondments to labs in the USA. A broad knowledge of Quaternary environments is essential along with flexibility to travel. You will have an undergraduate and/or masters qualification in an appropriate field, be able to work independently and travel as necessary.

This position is available on a fixed-term basis for 17 months from 1 July 2024.

For further information about the position, please contact Matthew Bennett at [email protected] .

A detailed job description and person specification are available from our website together with an online application form. Alternatively, please email the HR Services Team at [email protected] quoting the appropriate reference (FST601