PhD (School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences) Doctorate draft

Program Overview

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Overview

The School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences uniquely integrates Archaeological Sciences, Biological Anthropology, Cultural Archaeology and Forensic and Medical Sciences to further the study of people, their society and their environments in the present and the past. Our approach is profoundly multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, bridging the sciences and the humanities.

Archaeological and Forensic Sciences at Bradford has a long-established reputation as one of the key centres for archaeological research in the UK. Bringing together staff from both Humanities and Science backgrounds within a single centre, we have created a powerful and distinctive research identity which blends cultural archaeology with cutting edge science.

This vision is promoted through the school's specialist groups including the Biological Anthropology Research Centre, the Stable Isotope Centre and Visualising Heritage - the University centre where archaeologists and forensic scientists use the latest technologies to capture, image, analyse and disseminate human activity from the past and the present.

100% of Impact

in

Archaeology

is rated as Internationally Excellent or World Leading (REF 2021).

Bradford’s field and lab-based projects have a global reach, currently including work in Mediterranean Europe, Western Asia, the North Atlantic and South America.

Our research is funded by a wide range of sources, including UK Research Councils, HERA, the European Commission, government agencies like English Heritage and Historic Scotland, major charities such as the Leverhulme Trust and the Gates Foundation, the US National Science Foundation, and a host of others.

Visit our

School website

for further information on the activities of the School.

Program Outline

What you will study

As part of a PhD programme you will attend general training events; you will also discuss with your supervisors what extra training you might need to complete your project (such as literature search techniques, statistical analysis, or specific instrumental analysis techniques), which will be reviewed annually. You might also need to complete training or assessment criteria associated with your funding body.

Research within the School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences is organised around three themes:

Social and biological identities

Archaeological and heritage sciences

Landscape and settlement archaeology

Individual topics vary considerably within these broad themes.

Examples of recent or current subject areas are listed below to give an idea of the range of themes that have been studied within the School:

Geochemical analysis of Doggerland sediments

Disarticulated human remains analysis

Faunal assemblages in funerary rites in prehistoric Scotland

Stable isotope analysis to reconstruct children’s early life history

Defining the geomagnetic field in the first millennium AD

Integrating remote sensing and geophysical survey techniques

Differential decomposition in burial micro-environments

Raman spectroscopy to investigate gout in archaeological samples

Use of UV light to locate human remains

The return of cultural artefacts or human remains to indigenous communities

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Career support

The University is committed to helping students develop and enhance employability and this is an integral part of many programmes. Specialist support is available throughout the course from the

Career and Employability Services

, including help to find part-time work while studying, placements, vacation work and graduate vacancies. Students are encouraged to access this support at an early stage and utilise their extensive resources.

Designed specifically for doctoral researchers, there is extensive training and development opportunities included in our unique and flexible

Postgraduate Research Framework

. This bespoke offering tailored for research students, provides training opportunities to support your future employability and your development as an independent researcher.

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Career prospects

Many of our graduates find employment as post-doctoral research and development scientists, analytical scientists in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and nutraceutical industries, research managers, academics, clinical researchers in the NHS and other managed care organisations, in the UK, the EU and overseas.