McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research

Research Associate in Settlement Survey (Fixed Term)

Central Cambridge
Limit of tenure applies*

One full time Postdoctoral Research Associate is sought to work on a European Research Council funded project entitled:

Winter Rain, Summer Rain: Adaptation, Climate Change, Resilience and the Indus Civilisation (TwoRains). TwoRains is a five year research project led by Dr Cameron Petrie (Cambridge) that is investigating the resilience and sustainability of South Asia's first complex society, the Indus Civilisation (c.2500-1900 BC), which developed across a range of distinctive environmental contexts where westerly winter rainfall overlapped with the summer rainfall of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM). The research will combine cutting edge approaches from Archaeology, Earth Sciences and Geography to reconstruct climate, model rain patterns, and explore societal adaptations and responses to change by combining data on settlement distribution, food production and consumption, and water stress. The data will then be integrated and assessed using agent-based modelling. TwoRains is pursuing a series of specific objectives through four interrelated work-packages, focussing on: climate (WP1), environmental and settlement landscapes (WP2), water stress and life-ways (WP3), and modelling strategies of adaptation and resilience (WP4). By adopting an integrated interdisciplinary approach, TwoRains is asking "Does climate change really cause collapse?", elucidating how particular communities perceived weather and landscape changes, hypothesising about why they made the decisions they did, and exploring the consequences of those decisions.

The successful applicant for the position of Research Associate will co-ordinate the systematic re-visitation of documented settlements and new surveys in NW India during extensive fieldwork in Years 2 and 3 of the project for Work-Package 2, with the aim of re-evaluating settlement distribution in the region. The role will also involve targeted transect survey in the hinterland of the settlements excavated for Work-Package 3.

Applicants should have, or must be expecting to complete, a Ph.D. in Archaeology or a related field before they take up this position. Research experience in settlement and landscape survey is essential, and experience with GIS and database design, use and management is desirable. Some knowledge of South Asian archaeology is desirable, but not essential.

Start date 1 October 2016 or as soon as possible thereafter.

The successful candidate will be expected to start at or near the base of the pay scale shown above

*Limit of Tenure: 2 Years

Closing Date: 11^th March 2016

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please visit: www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/9475.

Informal inquiries may be addressed to Dr. Cameron Petrie at cap59@cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference JC08323 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

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