Archaeological Sciences

Archaeological Sciences at Bradford has a long-established reputation as one of the key centres for archaeological research in the UK. Bringing together staff from both Humanities and Science backgrounds within a single centre, we have created a powerful and distinctive research identity which blends cultural archaeology with cutting edge science.

Our success was exemplified in the last Research Assessment Exercise (RAE 2008), in which 50% of our research was judged to be ‘World Class’ or ‘Internationally Excellent’.

Bradford’s field and lab-based projects have a global reach, currently including work in Mediterranean Europe, western Asia, the North Atlantic and South America.

Our research is funded by a wide range of sources, including UK Research Councils, government agencies like English Heritage and Historic Scotland, major charities such as the Leverhulme Trust and the Gates Foundation, the US National Science Foundation, and a host of others.

Facilities

Research in Archaeological Sciences draws on a wide range of outstanding analytical facilities including one of the largest collections of human skeletons in a British academic institution (in the BARC, or Biological Anthropology Research Centre), and one of the best-equipped archaeologically-dedicated stable light isotope laboratories in the UK.

Publications

Our work is published in academic journals, books, monographs and reports, and we are committed to making our research accessible to a broader public through television and media collaborations, public presentations and other events.

Student involvement

Students play an active role in many of our research projects. Dissertations, both undergraduate and Masters, frequently involve working alongside professional researchers on major archaeological projects, and our student placement programme offers plenty more opportunities to get involved.

PhD students will find a friendly and collaborative research culture with a real interdisciplinary spirit and opportunities to develop new ways of understanding and interpreting the past.