Research Associate

Vacancy terms: Full-time, fixed term contract to 30 June 2025

Hours per week: 37.5

Advert closes midnight on: 01 Oct 2023

About the role

Under the direction of Professor David Mattingly, you will provide digital data support for the Oasis Civilisation (OasCiv) project, including participating in fieldwork in Morocco. The OasCiv Project concerns the Iron Age and Medieval phases of oasis development in the Draa valley in southern Morocco (North-western Sahara). Following an initial survey phase (2015-2018), since 2020, the project has been engaged in excavating a selection of sites of different types and date to enhance our understanding of the emergence of complex, sedentary and agrarian societies in the Draa. In the final stage of the project, you will have responsibility for managing a range of digital data in relation to fieldwork, post-excavation write-up and archiving of project. 

A particular focus will be spatial data contained in the project GIS – collected from a variety of sources (remote sensing and image analysis, drone footage, topographic survey, photogrammetry). 

You will contribute to written contributions and illustrations to project publications. There will be two periods of fieldwork in Morocco – in early and late 2024 – in which you will be expected to participate. 

About you

The post will especially suit an experienced field archaeologist, with expertise in geo-spatial techniques and a PhD in a relevant subject. An interest in the underlying issues of sedentarisation and oasis formation is also desirable, but not essential. With excellent interpersonal, organization and communication skills, you will be willing to work flexibly to support the activities of the project. 

Additional information

Informal enquires are welcome and should be made to Professor David Mattingly on djm7@le.ac.uk.  

The University of Leicester has been changing the world, and changing people’s lives, for 100 years. When you join us, you’ll become part of a community of Citizens of Change, which includes not only our staff and our current students but also thousands of Leicester graduates around the world. 

As a diverse and forward-thinking employer, we embed the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion into everything we do. That includes not just our core missions of teaching and research, but also our support for staff, students and our local community through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive through our values of Inspiring, Impactful and Inclusive. 

We’re committed to the wellbeing of all our staff and to the sustainability of our environment, on our campus and beyond. We offer a competitive salary package, excellent pension scheme and a generous annual leave allowance, along with opportunities to develop your career in a supportive and collaborative environment.

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