Research Assistant: Bioarchaeology
We're offering a full-time Research Assistant position. You will work alongside BioArCh professional staff in the day-to-day management and maintenance of our plant collections.
Hours: 180 total (either 30 hours per week for 6 weeks or 20 hours per week for 9 weeks)
Duration (weeks): Between 6 and 9 weeks depending on student year of study (UG or PGT)
Suggested Interview Date(s): 29th May
Suggested Start Date(s): 15th July
You will be working within the new archaeobotany facility within BioArCh. The archaeobotany laboratory’s plant reference collections include more than 500 taxa, featuring economic and wild flora from the British Isles and Europe and key economic species from Asia and Africa. The collection also includes a large herbarium dedicated to wild plants from the British Isles, as well as wood and charcoal reference materials.
You will work alongside BioArCh professional staff in the day-to-day management and maintenance of our plant collections. More specifically, you will work to establish and catalogue the reference collection under guidance from Dr Lara Gonzalez Carretero. You’ll assist with the cataloguing and storage of ethnobotanical, archaeobotanical and modern specimens in BioArCh’s plant reference collections. Accurate cataloguing and careful packaging are crucial to the long-term use of these collections.
You will receive training in all aspects of the management and maintenance of a reference collection, from handling specimens and use of a database, to correct packing and storing. Your project will also include training in photography and digitisation of some specimens.
This post would be particularly suitable for applicants with experience of working with collections, or who are interested in exploring an archaeology or museum career.
We are looking for someone with:
Essential:
- A degree in Archaeology, Biology, Natural Sciences or a related subject (or currently undertaking in degree in one of these subjects)
- Experience of working in a laboratory or related setting
- Good organisational and record keeping skills
- Proficiency in IT skills and/or experience in working with databases
- Ability to work collaboratively
- Prior experience of carrying out independent research
Desirable:
- Knowledge of botany, archaeobotany, ethnobotany or related subject
- Experience of working with museum or other collections
What the intern can gain from this internship:
- Insight into working in a unique research facility (BioArCh) with wide-ranging specialisms
- Insight into how bioarchaeological research is undertaken
- Opportunity to develop specialist bioarchaeological knowledge and technical skills
- Increased chances of employment with the UK archaeology sector
- Opportunity to undertake training and gain experience in:
- Botanical nomenclature
- Metadata creation
- Object handling
- Cataloguing
- Accessioning
- Packing
- Digitisation and photography
- Data management
- Quality assurance
Application details
This post is brought to you by York Internships and is offered as an in-person internship, with work to be completed with the department on campus. The project will be a total of between 6 and 9 weeks in duration depending on the student level of study.
Employers and academic departments choose to advertise their roles via York Internships, therefore we ask that you do not contact employers directly with your application. If you have any questions about your application, please email careers-placements@york.ac.uk.
Open to International (including EU) and UK (home) students.
Open to students in the Department of Archaeology.
If you have any questions at all about your eligibility, please contact careers-placements@york.ac.uk at the earliest opportunity - do not wait for the application closing date to contact the team.
Funding for this internship has been provided by the Yorkshire Consortium for Equity in Doctoral Education. YCEDE funded projects are designed to enable undergraduate (UG) or postgraduate taught (PGT) students from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds in the UK to gain postgraduate research (PGR) level research experience, as part of a wider initiative to remove barriers to doctoral study. By applying for this internship, you confirm that you are a UK National from a Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic background.
As part of the wider evaluation of the YCEDE initiative, all applications for this internship may be reviewed and used to research the effectiveness of YCEDE. This evaluation may be carried out by staff from any of the HE institutions involved in the YCEDE initiative. This includes: the University of Bradford, the University of Leeds, the University of Sheffield, and Sheffield Hallam University. By applying for this internship you are also consenting to the information in your application being reviewed as part of this evaluation.
Please note that if you are offered a YCEDE internship through York Internships it is a condition of the agreement that you participate fully in the training elements of your project, which includes maintenance of a learning journal and completion of a short project report or video about your experience. The journal and report will be viewed by the YCEDE and York Internships teams, who may ask for your permission to use some of the journal or report content for marketing purposes. At the start of the internship you will also receive a welcome email from the YCEDE team, asking you to complete a short profile also for marketing and monitoring purposes.
The hourly rate for this position is subject to tax, National Insurance and people’s pension. The intern will be paid monthly in line with the casual payroll process based on the submission of timesheets via Dashboard.
For postgraduate students, we consider semester to include the summer vacation. Please note that students studying on a student visa may not exceed 20 hours of paid work (including voluntary work) per week during semester.
Application deadline: Tuesday 21 May 2024, 11.59pm BST
- Please download the York Internships application form. You can find this on the York Internships company profile as an attachment. Alternatively, the application form is attached to the internship vacancy. Once you have completed this, please re-upload along with your CV.
- Please note that if you do not receive a confirmation email following your application, we have not received it. Therefore please be sure to save a copy of your application in case you need to reapply, and email careers-placements@york.ac.uk if you wish to check your application status.
- Please note that details of this project will not be accessible through Handshake following the closing date; please save a copy of this opportunity for your reference.
- If you have not heard from York Internships within two weeks of the application deadline, please assume that on this occasion your application has been unsuccessful.
- You are encouraged to seek support when putting together your application. You can access CV and interview advice at york.ac.uk/careers/applications
Right to work documentation: Any applicant who is offered this internship will be asked to provide evidence of their right to work in the UK before beginning the internship. This will involve providing a copy of your passport to the University’s HR Team. If you are a non-EU national your passport should contain details of your student visa confirming that you have obtained permission to work. You will be contacted with further instructions on how to complete a Right to Work check if you are offered the role.
You must be eligible to work in the UK and have a valid National Insurance (NI) number to complete this internship. If you are in the application process for an NI number at the time your internship is due to start, you can start work, however please note the University of York Casual Worker Team will require you to provide your NI number as soon as possible. Further information on NI numbers can be found on the UK Government website.