PhD Studentship in Archaeology

Project title:  A geoarchaeological investigation of agro pastoralist systems during the Medieval “Green Revolution” and its contribution to future agricultural practice.

Supervisors:  Dr Rowena Banerjea (Archaeology), Dr Alice Mauchline (School of Agriculture, Policy and Development), Professor Aleks Pluskowski (Archaeology)

Project Overview: This PhD project will be conducted within the scope of the MEDGREENREV ERC-Synergy project though which you will gain experience of working as part of a multi-disciplinary, international research team. The links between pastoralism, cultivation, manuring, geology and type of field system are particularly opaque in documentary sources for the 6th - 16th centuries in Iberia and North Africa and are under investigated through archaeological research. As a multi-scalar research strand, geoarchaeology has a pivotal role to play in taking a holistic stance to investigate the symbiotic relationships between these aspects of agro pastoralist systems alongside the backdrop of climate research conducted by the project’s partner, the University of Basel. Soils and sediments are the backbone of the archaeological record and are palaeoenvironmental archives of historic land use and the links between settlement and landscape. These links will be investigated in this project using a suite of microanalytical and physio-chemical geoarchaeological techniques.

Historic agrarian management and livestock alimentation decisions will be examined at the site scale to capture chronological and regional variations, within the frameworks of religious and climatic change, to create a timeline and map for the region. Outcomes will include an assessment of the extent to which the geoarchaeological data can be applied to the future development of sustainable and resilient agricultural approaches including livestock-centred agroforestry, regenerative agricultural practices, climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, and knowledge to inform the development of novel agri-technologies. This transdisciplinary research, co-supervised by Dr Mauchline, addresses key topics within the University of Reading’s Agrifood Futures research strategy.

The position involves labour-intensive microscopic and laboratory analyses (e.g. of soil micromorphology thin sections, geochemical and sediment characterisation analyses) and 2-3 months of field work in Mediterranean environments (sample collection on excavations and some coring). You will gain through this field, laboratory and analytical experience.

Knowledge of Spanish language is of advantage to this project.

Eligibility:   

• Applicants should hold or expect to gain a minimum of a 2:1 bachelor’s degree or equivalent in archaeology or environmental science or another strongly-related discipline.
• International applicants will also need to meet the University’s English Language requirements.

Funding Details:   

• Starts 19 January 2026 (flexible, subject to agreement)
• 3 year award
• Funding covers tuition fees plus UKRI stipend (£20,780 for 2025/26).

How to apply:  

Click Apply for a Programme, create your account and use the link sent by email to start the application process. Please select the PhD in Archaeology.

*Important notes*

• 1) Please quote the reference ‘DRC25-137’ in the ‘Scholarships applied for’ box which appears within the Funding Section of your online application.
• 2) Do not submit a research proposal, please paste in the project title and move on to the next step in the application.

Application Deadline:  18 December 2025

Further Enquiries:  

Contact Dr Rowena Banerjea r.y.banerjea@reading.ac.uk

Please note that, where a candidate is successful in being awarded funding, this will be confirmed via a formal studentship award letter; this will be provided separately from any Offer of Admission and will be subject to standard checks for eligibility and other criteria. 

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