PhD Studentship in the Zooarchaeology of Later Pastoralism in Kenya

We invite applications for a 3-year funded PhD studentship starting in October 2027 under the co-supervision of Professor Paul Lane and Dr Lizzie Wright, as part of the Landscape Historical Ecology and Archaeology of Ancient Pastoral Societies in Kenya (LHEAAPS) project. This PhD studentship is funded by a UKRI Frontier Research Grant.

The LHEAAPS project aims to investigate the origins and evolution of Pastoral Iron Age societies in north-central Kenya through integrated analysis of patterns of human and livestock mobility, dietary practices, exchange networks, and responses to periods of known drought and increased rainfall over the last c. 1800 years. Through the innovative use of diverse bioarchaeological, archaeological and zooarchaeological approaches, the PhD project is intended to contribute to the reconstruction of diets, animal economies and herd management strategies (including seasonal and longer-term mobility of livestock) via combined zooarchaeology and isotopic analyses. The study will contribute to wider syntheses and analyses aimed at demonstrating the value of understanding these pastoralist pasts as paths for planning more sustainable futures for the region's contemporary pastoralist societies. In doing so, the project aspires to respond to calls to build long-term sustainability and resilience into social-ecological systems in sub-Saharan Africa through provision of deep histories of human-environment interactions and holistic approaches to the reconstruction of past and present human responses to climate-induced socioecological vulnerability.

We are looking for a highly motivated student to join the project. The selected student will be jointly co-supervised by the PI of the project (Professor Paul Lane, University of Cambridge) and Dr Lizzie Wright (Assistant Professor in Zooarchaeology), with additional input from other members of the Department and McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, and external researchers depending on training needs.

The successful applicant's research will focus on reconstruction of the animal economies and herd management strategies associated with Pastoral Iron Age sites across north-central Kenya, assessing changes and continuities over time in terms of dietary breadth, mobility strategies and related factors. In order to do this a combination of zooarchaeological (analysis of species composition, body part representation, mortality, pathological and metric data), and isotopic analyses will be employed.

Candidates must meet the requirement for a PhD application in archaeology (see details here: Requirements), and have (or expect to obtain by July 2027) an MA, MSc or MPhil degree in archaeology, archaeological science or a cognate discipline, with evidence of a sound grounding in and specialist knowledge of zooarchaeology. Ideally, applicants will have knowledge of East African Holocene archaeology and/or on the archaeology of pastoralist economies, and practical field experience in researching the archaeology of pastoralism. However, we also welcome students with appropriate zooarchaeological knowledge and analytical experience on archaeological materials from other geographical areas. To conduct the research, applicants may need relevant linguistic skills in Swahili or Maa or demonstrate a willingness to acquire such skills during the course of the PhD. They must also be willing to participate in fieldwork and spend extended periods in Kenya (up to five months at a time) working on data collection and analysis.

The PhD student will be part of the LHEAAPS core team (currently the PI, one post-doctoral researcher, and another doctoral student and the project coordinator) based at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, which also hosts a large community of researchers focused on Africa's archaeology and heritage. The core team will work closely with a number of collaborators based in the UK, Kenya and internationally, and the project will have a strong base in Kenya, where much of the research will be carried out.

The studentship will provide a stipend covering maintenance and fee costs at the current Home Rate, plus 6-12 months discretionary additional maintenance for finalising the dissertation. Immigration health surcharge and visa fees in the event a successful candidate is a non-UK citizen, plus fieldwork costs and selected conference attendance, as well as maintenance payments for the duration of parental leave, are all additionally covered. Non-EU students and those from EU countries who do not meet the residency requirements may be eligible for additional support, and to ensure this they must also indicate that they wish to apply for funding from the Cambridge Trust, and select the relevant schemes they may be eligible for from the drop-down lists. Applicants who meet the residency requirements for Home Rate fees are welcome also to apply for these additional sources of funding. We encourage applications from groups underrepresented in archaeology and women to apply, including those coming from Kenya and the wider East Africa region.

Applications should be submitted for the PhD in Archaeology via the Applicant Portal (Aaarpdarc). In addition to the standard application materials, you must state that you are applying for the LHEAAPS project in your 'Statement of Research Interest' and upload a cover letter (no more than two pages) outlining your suitability for this project and what skills and/or knowledge you will contribute to the project. Professor Lane should be identified as your preferred supervisor, with Dr Wright listed as your second supervisor.

Additional information about the Department of Archaeology can be found here: arch.cam.ac.uk

Information on postgraduate study at Cambridge can be found here: Courses overview

Please note that the deadline for funding applications is the 6th January 2027 and for submission of applications.

Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed online during the week 18-22nd January 2027.

For further information and informal enquiries, please contact Professor Paul Lane and Dr Lizzie Wright via email: pjl29@cam.ac.uk and eew39@cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference JD51565 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.