Archaeology & Palaeoecology - Research

Entry Year: 2024/25

How To Apply

Fees & Costs

Overview
By joining Archaeology & Palaeoecology you will become part of a dynamic group of researchers in one of two interdisciplinary Research Clusters: Environmental Change & Resilience (ECR) for more environmentally-related projects, and Culture & Society (C&S) for more humanities-related Archaeology projects.

Projects involving Palaeoecology or Scientific Archaeology focus on themes such as long-term changes and resilience in ecosystems, humans, environments and climate, using approaches such as pollen analysis, tephra dating, dendrochronology and radiocarbon dating. Much of our research spans several disciplines – for example projects on the hydrogeology and restoration of bogs.

Research in the C&S cluster explores the material manifestations of culture through time and space. We combine innovative scientific methods with theoretically-informed analyses to understand past human experience, bringing together the humanities and the sciences.

The combination of environmental archaeology, and especially bio-archaeology, with more traditional approaches to the past, helps to differentiate Queen's from most other Archaeology departments and is seen as both a strength and stimulus to future developments.

Subject Summary
As a member of the Society & Culture Research Cluster you will join a thriving research community that explores the material manifestations of culture through time and space, focusing particularly on the development of agriculture, domestic and ritual space; populations and palaeodiet from Ireland to Eurasia; religion, society and material culture in the ancient Mediterranean, prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval Ireland; Irish connections with the New World, and social and bio-archaeological approaches to death. As a member of the Environmental Change & Resilience Research Cluster you will join a vibrant palaeoecology research group studying past environment and climate change, using a variety of records from around the world. Our research focuses on how Earth’'s environments have changed, or are changing, over a range of timescales, and covers carbon dynamics and climate change, geoforensics, geographical information studies and geostatistics, glacial and periglacial landscapes, human-environment interactions, climate and environmental change, and scientific dating and chronological techniques.

Course structure
You will carry out original research under the guidance of your supervisory team. There is no specific course content as such. This independent research is complemented by postgraduate skills training organised by Queen’s Graduate School, and other internal and external training courses organised through your supervisor.

You will normally register, in the first instance, as an ‘undifferentiated PhD student’ which means that you have satisfied staff that you are capable of undertaking a research degree. The decision as to whether you should undertake an MPhil or a PhD is delayed until you have completed ‘differentiation’.

Differentiation takes place about 9-12 months after registration for full time students and about 18-30 months for part time students: You are normally asked to submit work to a panel of up two academics and this is followed up with a formal meeting with the ‘Differentiation Panel’. The Panel then make a judgement about your capacity to continue with your study. Sometimes students are advised to revise their research objectives or to consider submitting their work for an MPhil qualification rather than a doctoral qualification.

To complete with a doctoral qualification you will be required to submit a thesis of no more than 80,000 words and you will be required to attend a viva voce [oral examination] with an external and internal examiner to defend your thesis.

A PhD programme runs for 3-4 years full-time or 6-8 years part-time. Students can apply for a writing up year should it be required.

The PhD is open to both full and part time candidates and is often a useful preparation for a career within academia or consultancy.

Full time students are often attracted to research degree programmes because they offer an opportunity to pursue in some depth an area of academic interest.

The part time route is a suitable option for those unable to study for a PhD full time. This may be due to family commitments or those already in employment. On the former, studying part time for a PhD can be very accommodating in juggling different responsibilities. On the latter, part time candidates often choose to research an area that is related to their professional responsibilities.

Research Information
Associated Research
Both the Culture & Society and Environmental Change & Resilience research clusters are strongly interdisciplinary and incorporate researchers from other subject areas across the School (e.g. Human and Physical Geography, Planning, Architecture), working closely together to develop research that takes into consideration both the social and environmental context of human society. Integrated within C&S is the Centre for Archaeological Fieldwork, a financially self-supporting excavation unit with an exceptional record of publication and a high media profile, reflecting a strong commitment to community engagement.

Both clusters conduct research in Ireland, Great Britain and abroad, in particular the Mediterranean region, territories of the former Soviet Union, the North Atlantic, West Africa and the Americas, where both staff and research students undertake collaborative projects.

Research students maintain their own research seminar series alongside the fortnightly seminars organised by the two research clusters, which routinely bring outstanding scholars from abroad as well as Great Britain and Ireland.

Being based in the purpose-built Archaeology & Palaeoecology Centre, jointly with the 14CHRONO Centre for Climate, the Environment and Chronology, expands our research facilities and has allowed us to extend our research agenda. Our facilities include an AMS 14C dating facility, an NEC accelerator mass spectrometer, cold storage for biological materials, drawing office, laboratories for post-excavation, human bone analysis, palynology, plant, snail and insect macrofossils, dendrochronology and animal bone analysis.

Thematically, we have identified eight areas of particular specialist interest and especially welcome applications from potential PhD students interested in these areas, though projects are not limited to these themes:

• Development of agriculture and the cultural landscape in Europe, Eurasia and its associated economic, chronological and environmental backdrop
• Organisation of domestic and ritual space (including landscapes) from prehistory through the post-medieval period in the North Atlantic region
• Religion, society and material culture in the ancient Mediterranean
• Settlement and economy of prehistoric, medieval and post-medieval Ireland; connections with the New World
• Social and bio-archaeological approaches to death, involving the study of mortuary data from Ireland across Eurasia
• Populations and palaeodiet from Ireland to Eurasia
• Refinement of chronologies from selected regions of the world, using the facilities of the 14CHRONO labs
• The causes, timing and impacts of past climate change

Current postgraduates come from Ireland, Great Britain, the USA, France, Italy, Cyprus and the Netherlands.

Assessment processes for a research degree differ from taught degrees. Students will be expected to present drafts of their work at regular intervals to their supervisor who will provide written and oral feedback; a formal assessment process takes place annually.

This Annual Progress Review requires students to present their work in writing and orally to a panel of academics from within the School. Successful completion of this process will allow students to register for the next academic year.

The final assessment of the doctoral degree is both oral and written. Students will submit their thesis to an internal and external examining team who will review the written thesis before inviting the student to orally defend their work at a Viva Voce.

A research degree offers students an opportunity to foster their capacity for independent research and critical thought. It also allows students to explore an area of interest and so understand and solve theoretical and practical problems within the field. Undertaking a research degree also enhances a student’s written and oral communication skills, and a PhD is almost always a formal requirement for an academic post.

NI, GB and EU Postgraduate Admissions Enquiries
+44 (0)28 9097 3004
Postgraduate Enquiries: postgrad.admissions@qub.ac.uk

International Admissions Enquiries
+44 (0)28 9097 3004
International Enquiries: intl.admissions@qub.ac.uk

In person:
The Admissions and Access Service is located on Level 1, Lanyon North (see map). Normal hours are Monday to Friday 10.00am to 12.00 noon and 2.00pm to 4.00pm.

If you require any further support, please contact our Faculty Hubs:
Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences – askAHSS@qub.ac.uk
Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences – askEPS@qub.ac.uk
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences – askMHLS@qub.ac.uk

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