Archaeology

Research degrees

Find a supervisor
Programmes
Graduate School Office

We encourage all our students to get involved and take an active role in our academic community and there will be many opportunities for our students to become personally involved with the research being conducted in the Department.

Professor Alan Outram, Head of Archaeology

ArchaeologyResearchPostgraduate

Postgraduate research

Archaeology at Exeter is currently involved in exciting research in Britain and around the world. We have active fieldwork and research projects in Britain, Europe, South America, North America, Central Asia and South Asia.

Get to know a few of our PhD students;

Research in the Archaeology Department covers human origins through to the recent past, and is characterised by theoretically informed field-based approaches and a strong commitment to methodological innovation.

Our staff and research students work in Britain, mainland Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America, and in the last research Assessment Exercise (2008) we were ranked second in the UK for World Leading and Internationally Excellent Research in Archaeology (based on the amount of 3* and 4* research).

Our research covers a wide range of areas, these broad headings give an indication of our special interests:

  • Archaeology of the Americas
  • Bioarchaeology
  • Experimental archaeology
  • Landscape archaeology
  • Material culture
  • Wetlands, coastal and maritime landscapes

Explore our research centres and research projects to find out more about our current research topics.

Visit our Archaeology staff profiles pages for details on individual staff research interests and publications.

Supervisors - all students have a primary and a secondary supervisor who provide regular, high quality advice, support and direction in their academic endeavours. You will work closely with your supervisors over three to four years (full time PhD) or six to seven (part-time PhD) to develop, investigate and write-up a project at the cutting edge of theological research.

Visit our staff profiles for more information about individual research interests or use the search box on the right of this page to find a supervisor.

Mentor - each student will also be assigned a mentor who will take on a pastoral role and mediate on any problems that arise during the period of study. Your mentor will keep in regular contact and will provide background stability and support.

Graduate School Office - the College of Humanities has a dedicated Graduate School Office that supports our postgraduate research students during their study with us. The Office promotes intellectual and social contact between research students in all our disciplines to foster a vibrant research community within the College.

Our current PhD students

We're proud of the research carried out by our PhD students. There are currently around 50 PhD students in the Department, many of whom maintain an online personal profile detailing their research activities. Follow the links below to find out more about them and their research projects.

Student Research title First supervisor Second supervisor
Daiana Alves 'Plant management in Pre-Columbian Amazonia from an archaeobotanical approach of Tapajó culture' Professor José Iriarte Dr Marisa Lazzari
Kathryn Bonnet The Kandyan blacksmith: an assessment of repertoire and skills using archaeological fieldwork, ethnometallurgy, microstructural analysis and experimental re-enactment Dr Gillian Juleff Professor Sharada Srinivasan
Cynthia Bradley Remaking the Mazeway: a study of the mortuary and skeletal evidence from the Ancestral Pueblo site of Wallace Ruin. Professor José Iriarte Professor Alan Outram
Gabrielle Collins Communicating Climate Change: An Investigation into the Public Presentation of Climate Change at Museums and Archaeological Sites. Dr Linda Hurcombe Robert Van De Noort
Gillian Cuthbert Enriching the Neolithic: The Forgotten People of the Barrows. Dr Catriona McKenzie Dr Linda Hurcombe
Jonas De Souza Pathways to Power in the Southern Brazilian Highlands: Architectonic Diversity, Function, and Change in Taquara/Itararé Ceremonial Centres Professor José Iriarte Dr Marisa Lazzari
Hayley Foster A Zooarchaeological study of changing butchery practices and species exploitation: social and fashionable changes in dining habits in Medieval castles in England. Professor Alan Outram Professor Oliver Creighton
James Glover Chipped-stone technology and social identities in Mesolithic Cornwall: how social practices and agency of the lithic chaîne opératoire reflect identity in the micro and macro scale. Dr Linda Hurcombe Dr Marisa Lazzari
Regina Gonda Pre-Columbian Amazon-Scale Transformations. Professor José Iriarte Dunia H. Urrego
David Gould Rabbit Warrens of South West England: landscape context, socio-economic significance and symbolism Professor Oliver Creighton Stuart Prior
Ethan Greenwood Wealdon Iron Research Group Collaborative Doctoral Studentship Dr Gillian Juleff Dr Robert Morkot
Kaushalya Gunasena Cultural, Technological and Ideological Exchange: Sri Lanka – South India Interaction from a Personal Adornment Perspective during the Proto-historic to Early Historic Periods Dr Gillian Juleff Professor Sharada Srinivasan
Lautaro Hilbert past human impact on Amazonian forests Professor José Iriarte Dr Marisa Lazzari
Emmet Jackson The Irish contribution to the study of Egyptology in the nineteenth century: with specific reference to Lady Harriet Kavanagh. Dr Robert Morkot Dr Marisa Lazzari
Emily Johnson Domesticated animals in the LBK: butchery practices and the nature of meat and fat exploitation Professor Alan Outram Dr Linda Hurcombe
Mandy Kingdom The Past People of Exeter: Health, Social Standing and Well-being in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Period. Dr Catriona McKenzie Professor Oliver Creighton
Madeleine Knibb The Significance of field-names in a diverse historic rural landscape. Professor Stephen Rippon Professor Oliver Creighton
Matthew Knight The intentional destruction and deposition of Bronze Age metalwork in South-West England – an assessment of prehistoric personhood and the relationship between people and objects. Dr Linda Hurcombe Joanna Brück
Alice Oriana La Porta Stone Projectile Point Technology: does it exist in the Western European Middle Palaeolithic? Techno-functional analysis of Middle Palaeolithic convergent tools. Dr Linda Hurcombe Robert Hosfield
Malene Lauritsen Exeter from fort to city: a faunal perspective Professor Alan Outram Professor Stephen Rippon
Xuelei Li Fox Trails through time Professor Alan Outram Dr Linda Hurcombe
Yu Li The Formation, Development and Transmission of Southwest China's Iron Smelting Technology Dr Gillian Juleff Dr Marisa Lazzari
Carole Lomas Early Medieval Churches in Somerset Professor Stephen Rippon Professor Oliver Creighton
David Marshall Lines on a landscape – the divisions of space on the human landscape of the Isle of Wight Professor Stephen Rippon Professor Oliver Creighton
Sabine Martin Functional study of Middle Paleolithic vein-quartz industries from the European sites of Payre (France) and from Atapuerca's Grand Dolina (Spain): Elaboration of a repository for diagnostic stigmata. Dr Linda Hurcombe Professor Bruce Bradley
Debanjan Mitra Study of Cognitive Implications on Stone-tool Technology of the Belan, Son and Middle Ganga Valleys, India from circa 60kyr – 10kyr Professor Bruce Bradley Professor Anindya Sinha
Richard Nevell Castle slighting in England and Wales from the 11th to 15th centuries. Professor Oliver Creighton Professor Stephen Rippon
Claire Nicholas Enabling an indigenous population to regain access to their lost heritage and knowledge Dr Robert Morkot Dr Marisa Lazzari
Eddie Procter Topographical legacies of monasticism: evolving perceptions and realities of monastic estate landscapes in the south eastern Welsh Marches Professor Stephen Rippon Professor Oliver Creighton
Joanne Pye Place names in the Cornish landscape. Professor Stephen Rippon Professor Oliver Creighton
Bruce Rusch Cultural settlement pattern behaviour reconstruction of the Potter Paleoindian site and its relationship to the Israel River Complex sites using lithic analysis. Professor Bruce Bradley Professor José Iriarte
Leonard Sidebottom Heritage of city walls. Professor Oliver Creighton Professor Stephen Rippon
Jemma Singleton Connecting the Dots with Rock Art; A regional study of rock art sites in South India to identify the cultural interaction between humans and the landscape. Dr Linda Hurcombe Professor Sharada Srinivasan
Sarah Stainer From Tinners to Antiquarians: An archaeological analysis of the evidence for medieval and later attitudes toward prehistoric features on southern Dartmoor. Professor Stephen Rippon Dr Hajnalka Herold
David Stone Mutually Assured Construction? A study of West Saxon and Mercian political, economic and military co-operation in the ninth and tenth centuries Professor Oliver Creighton Dr Levi Roach
Belinda Tibbetts Foetal and infant skeletal palaeopathology as an indicator of maternal health and population stress. Dr Catriona McKenzie Professor Alan Outram
Philip Treveil Local and regional variation in landscape character: the significance of the Tamar Valley. Professor Stephen Rippon Professor Oliver Creighton
Robert Waterhouse The Landscape Archaeology of Islands in physically and culturally remote zones Professor Stephen Rippon Dr Hajnalka Herold

Funding opportunities available to students on our research degree programmes in Archaeology:*

AwardValueApplication deadlineDescription
The Medieval Iron Industry in the Weald, Archaeology -PhD Studentship. The studentship covers full UK/EU tuition fees and annual maintenance allowance at Research Council rate of £14,777 per year. International students can apply, but will be required to pay the outstanding balance of the international tuition fees. Mon 30th Apr 2018 For UK/EU candidates this studentship covers full tuition fees and annual maintenance allowance at Research Council rate of £14,777 per year. International students can apply, but will only receive the equivalent of UK/EU tuition fees (currently £4,400) and will be required to pay the outstanding balance of the international tuition fees.
Becas Chile (Conicyt) Fully funded Thu 10th May 2018 Scholarships offered for studies in the UK, available for Chilean nationals (and others with permanent residence in Chile) in all areas except Management/MBA/Commercial Law and where the recipient will be expected to return to Chile on completion of their studies.
Causes and Effects of Abrupt Climate Change on Tropical Biodiversity - Geography - NERC GW4+ DTP PhD Studentship £14,553 per annum for 2017-18 Fri 11th May 2018 NERC GW4+ funded studentship available for September 2018 entry. For eligible students the award will provide funding of fees and a stipend which is currently £14,553 per annum (2017/2018).
Sanctuary Scholarship Full tuition fee waiver plus annual living cost grant Tue 15th May 2018 The Sanctuary Scholarship scheme enables individuals seeking asylum and refugees who are not able access student finance to study at the University of Exeter.
Using caffeine and nitrate supplementation to augment adaptation to high intensity exercise training. Sport & Health Science PhD Studentship (Funded) Full tuition fees, stipend of £15,000 p.a, travel funds of up to £15,000, and RTSG of £15,000 are available over the 3.5 year studentship Sat 26th May 2018 The QUEX Institute studentships are available for January 2019 entry. This prestigious programme provides full tuition fees, stipend of £15,000 p.a, travel funds of up to £15,000, and RTSG of £15,000 over the life of the studentship. The studentship funding is provided for up to 42 months (3.5 years)
University of Exeter Progression to Postgraduate Research Programmes £750 to £1,000 There is no application for this award. You will be automatically considered. A tuition fee discount is available to University of Exeter students progressing directly from an undergraduate degree to a limited number of MbyRes, MPhil and PhD programmes in September 2018. This award is available for selected programmes only, please see the main advertisement for details.
Fulbright Scholarships: Postgraduate Student Awards Varies Mon 1st Oct 2018 Fulbright US Student Postgraduate Student Awards can be applied to any master's or doctoral degree at any recognised UK university, as well as for independent research projects.
Marshall Scholarships for graduate study Varies Mon 1st Oct 2018 Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a graduate degree in the United Kingdom.
Global Education Program Scholarship Fully funded Deadline passed
(Sun 5th Nov 2017)		 The Global Education Program (GEP) scholarship is provided by the Russian Government and covers Masters and PhD studies in science, engineering, medicine, education and management in social sphere.
BECAR (Argentina) Fully funded Deadline passed
(Thu 11th Jan 2018)		 Postgraduate scholarships offered jointly by Bec.Ar/Universities UK, available for students of Argentinean nationality with a first degree of minimum 4 years. Priority areas are Science, Technology and Innovation. The recipient will be expected to return to Argentina on completion of their studies.
COLFUTURO Scholarships Loan Programme £20,000 Deadline passed
(Wed 28th Feb 2018)		 COLFUTURO offers scholarship-loans to provide financial support to Colombian citizens to access high-quality postgraduate study Masters or Doctoral programs abroad.
Sports Scholarship and High Performance Programme up to £3000 plus additional support services & coaching Deadline passed
(Sat 31st Mar 2018)		 Sports scholarships are awarded to students of outstanding sporting ability who show evidence of achievement at international level in their chosen sport. We also encourage applications from students who have achieved at national or regional level for consideration onto our High Performance Programme.
Managing archaeological loss in the face of coastal change, Geography – MPhil/PhD (Funded) £15,327 for 3 years Deadline passed
(Fri 13th Apr 2018)		 The University of Exeter’s College of Life and Environmental Sciences, in partnership with Historic England, is inviting applications for a fully-funded PhD studentship to commence in September 2018 (or as soon as possible thereafter).
Postgraduate Research Global Excellence Studentships - PhD (Funded) Full international fees plus research allowance and £14,777 annual stipend Deadline passed
(Mon 16th Apr 2018)		 The University is offering a number of Postgraduate Research Global Excellence Studentships for Postgraduate Research to top students from around the world. The award pays international fees, a research allowance and stipend (currently £14,777 pa) for up to 3 years
*Please note that if you have submitted an application to one of our MPhil/PhD programmes you will not automatically be considered for funding. You must submit a separate funding application, including all required supporting documents, via the link provided in each award to be considered for that award.

The College of Humanities works closely with the University’s Career Zone to help you gain the skills, experience and expertise employers are looking for. There are a wide range of opportunities to enhance your employability, along with the support you need to make important career decisions.

We have our own Employability Officer who works to develop close links with employers and arranges careers events. 

Employers

Fyssen Foundation
Heritage Lottery Fund
Isle of Wight Council
National Trust
Pendle Borough Council
UCL Institute of Neurology
University of Exeter

Occupations

Conservation Assistant
Development Officer
Director
DNA Technician
Fyssen Postdoctoral Fellow
Honorary Research Fellow
Research Officer
Researcher
Senior Archaeologist
Service Support Officer

*Employment destination information sourced from the DLHE surveys 2013/14 and 2012/13

From our blog