PhD Studentship in Landscape Archaeology of East African Mountains

About the role

The University of Cambridge's Department of Archaeology invites applications for a 3-year funded PhD studentship starting in October 2027, under the co-supervision of Professor Paul Lane and Dr Stefania Merlo within the AFRI-CAN project. The project studies how human systems interact with mountain ecosystems in six contrasting East African settings, and the student will work on Work Package 1, which covers the period from 6,000 years ago to the present. The studentship is based at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research.

Key responsibilities

• Expand historical and archaeological records from the MAEASaM project to build Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) maps of the past 6,000 years in selected case study areas.
• Synthesise archaeobotanical, faunal and material culture data, focusing initially on forestry and forest management.
• Collate and analyse historical maps, aerial photographs and remote sensing data to produce finer-resolution LULC change maps for the last 150 years.
• Work with ecologists, social scientists, colleagues and stakeholders to develop participatory scenario models for future land use planning.
• Publish in peer-reviewed journals, present at academic meetings, and take part in outreach and science-policy activities.

Required profile

• Requirement for a PhD in Archaeology.
• An MA, MSc or MPhil in a relevant discipline, obtained by July 2027 or expected to be obtained by then.
• Expertise in landscape archaeology, historical geography or landscape history, preferably in an African context (essential).

Required skills

• Familiarity with databases and geospatial analysis and mapping (essential).
• Experience using historical maps and remote sensing to identify archaeological sites and create LULC maps (desirable).
• Experience synthesising archaeological and historical datasets (desirable).
• Archaeological field survey experience, ideally in Africa (desirable).

What we offer

• A stipend covering maintenance and home fee costs.
• Immigration health surcharge and visa fees covered for non-UK citizens.
• Fieldwork costs, selected conference attendance and maintenance during parental leave covered.

Applications go through the Cambridge postgraduate portal, naming Professor Paul Lane as preferred supervisor and stating the AFRI-CAN project in the proposed title. A cover letter of no more than two pages is required, and the apply-for-funding box must be ticked. The funding deadline is 6 January 2027, with online interviews in late January 2027.