Research Assistant (Remote Sensing and GIS)

Role Description

The Department of Archaeology at the University of York is ranked 26th in the world and 5th in the UK in the QS rankings. Our vibrant, diverse and international community consists of over 100 staff and about 600 students. We carry out international, impact-oriented and interdisciplinary teaching and research of the highest quality through our strong network of partnerships. The student experience is of paramount importance to the Department and we maintain a high level of student satisfaction.  Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values and we promote a collegial environment in which staff and students feel supported and empowered to achieve their full potential. We are proud of our Athena Swan Silver Award and strive to provide a working environment which facilitates wellbeing and allows all staff and students to contribute fully, flourish, and excel. We aim for a sustainable future.

Applications are invited for a full-time research assistant in African Heritage Remote Sensing and GIS. The research assistant will be employed on the Mapping Africa’s Endangered Archaeological Sites and Monuments (MAESaM) project, supported by Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin. MAEASaM is working to identify and document endangered archaeological heritage sites across eight African countries, dated from the Palaeolithic/Early Stone Age to the 20th century, then share this information to help protect them. It will make records of these sites available in an Open Access  geospatial relational database tailored for different interest groups and stakeholders.

Role

The research assistant will work with the York co-investigator on the MAEASaM project, Professor Stephanie Wynne-Jones. The primary responsibility of this role will be to gather data from remote sensing and grey literature, and to input those data into the growing site database. Key tasks will include: the identification of archaeological sites and monuments through the use of remote sensing analyses and desk-based research on existing sites from published and grey literature; the creation of digital records of these sites and monuments following a standardised format. 

The role holder will be a part of the wider MAEASaM project team and will be expected to attend team meetings and assist where required with administrative tasks.

Skills, Experience & Qualification needed

The successful candidate will require:

• Postgraduate qualification (Masters level or above) in geospatial archaeology or a related discipline

• Expertise in GIS database management

• Team working and communication skills

Interview date: 14/04/2025

For informal enquiries: please contact Stephanie Wynne-Jones on stephanie.wynne-jones@york.ac.uk

The University strives to be diverse and inclusive  – a place where we can ALL be ourselves.

We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented at the University. 

We offer family friendly, flexible working arrangements, with forums and inclusive facilities to support our staff. #EqualityatYork