Application Deadline: 24 January 2025
Details
This PhD project is part of a wider research programme that seeks to highlight the importance of landscape archaeological sites in the northern Namib Sand Sea, to balance the archaeological narrative that remains dominated by the cave and rock shelter sites at the coast in South Africa and in the interior of the subcontinent. The how and why hominins inhabited the inhospitable Namib Sand Sea is likely to have depended on freshwater availability in now dry interdune pan sites, many of which lie along a former course of the Tsondab River. This may have represented a occasional green corridor through an otherwise hyper-arid landscape of shifting sand dunes.
The aim for this PhD project is to examine the geoarchaeological record and environmental proxies at two key sites in the Namib Sand Sea along the former course of the Tsondab River that contain Middle Stone Age lithic technology, and to provide chronological control for the palaeoenvironmental record at those sites. The supervisors at the University of Manchester and the wider, international project team would like the applicant to be involved in the decision making about the selection of sites they wish to focus on for their PhD project. The student will be supported the supervisory team in planning and undertaking fieldwork, in methodological training for field skills, laboratory analysis and use of specialist software.
Eligibility
Academic requirements
- Bachelor’s (Honours) degree in Geography, Earth Sciences or Archaeological Science at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent); and
- Master’s degree in Geography, Earth Sciences or Archaeological Science. – with an overall average of 60% or above, a minimum mark of 60% in your dissertation (or overseas equivalent)
- Experience, or willingness to engage with, fieldwork.
English language
All applicants must provide evidence of English language proficiency:
- IELTS test minimum score – 7.0 overall, 7.0 in writing, 6.0 in other sections.
- TOEFL (internet based) test minimum score – 100 overall, 25 in all sections.
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) UKVI/SELT or PTE Academic minimum score – 76 overall, 76 in writing, 70 in other sections.
- To demonstrate that you have taken an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a majority English speaking nation within the last 5 years.
Application procedure
The application deadline will be Midnight (GMT) on 24/01/25. Apply online for PhD Physical Geography at the University of Manchester.
Under Section 6 Research Details select ‘Yes’ to Are you applying for an advertised project. Insert the project title as stated at the top of the advert. It is recommended when entering the name of the supervisor to simply enter this and not use the supervisor search function.
Please indicate in Section 9 Funding Sources your intention to apply for the Bicentenary Studentship.
Please ensure all required supporting documents are included at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered. Your application must include the following:
- A copy of your Bachelor’s academic transcript and certificate.
- A copy of your Master’s academic transcript and certificate. If your Master’s degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript.
- If you have completed more than one Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, please provide evidence for each. If your transcripts are in a language other than English, you must provide an official English translation. If your weighted average mark or GPA is not included on these documents, please also include an official document from your university verifying this information.
- An academic CV, summarising your employment history, publications and highlighting experience demonstrating your research potential.
- Supporting statement of a maximum of 700 words indicating why you would like to undertake this studentship and explaining how your focus, experience, and skills link to the research outlined above.
- Example of a piece of academic writing produced by you of up to 5,000 words (you may consider submitting two shorter pieces if these deal separately with conceptual and empirical analyses). This may be an academic essay or chapter(s) from a dissertation, in which case, an abstract or introduction outlining the context/aims/research questions of the study must also be included.
- You must nominate two academic referees (including one from your most recent institution). Your referees will be contacted directly via the Referee Portal following the submission of your application form. You may wish to contact your referees to request they submit your reference in a reasonable timeframe as this forms part of the review process;
- A PhD Proposal is not required.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this further, please contact Dr Abi Stone (abi.stone@manchester.ac.uk)
Formal interviews: Interviews are expected to take place week commencing 10 March 2025.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Equality, diversity and inclusion are fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and are at the heart of all of our activities. We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact.
We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status.
Funding Notes
This project is supported by the University of Manchester’s prestigious Bicentenary Studentships, awarded through a competitive selection process where more projects are advertised than available positions.
The studentship provides funding for 4 years, beginning in September 2025. It covers tuition fees, an annual UKRI stipend (2024/25 rate £19,237 per annum) and an annual Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) to support project costs, conference/workshop attendance, and career development opportunities.
References
1) QEG research group within Geography https://www.seed.manchester.ac.uk/geography/research/groups/quaternary-environments-geoarchaeology/#:~:text=Quaternary%20Environments%20and%20Geoarchaeology%20(QEG)%20is%20an%20international%20group%20exploring,dynamics%20in%20diverse%20global%20systems
(2) Manchester Centre for Archaeology and Egyptology https://www.mcae.manchester.ac.uk/about/
(3) MERI https://www.meri.manchester.ac.uk/
