• YorNight 2020
• YorNight 2018
• YorNight 2015
• YorNight 2014
  • Activities and events
  • Competitions
  • Researchers
    • Our city
    • Health
    • Food
    • Digital
    • Smart and green
    • Fair society
  • Gallery
  • Young researchers
  • Women and research
  • Partners

Hayley McParland

Hayley McParland is an AHRC funded PhD student in the Department of Archaeology at the University of York.

“I specialise in the identification and analysis of plant phytoliths: microscopic silica negatives of plant cell structures preserved in soils, enabling me to gain an understanding of diet, trade and craft in archaeological contexts. My current research focuses on the spatial analysis of plant resources at Songo Mnara, Tanzania."

"I became interested in Archaeology whilst at school, I did work experience with a local archaeology unit and went on to study archaeology at University. I find my field fascinating because I’m naturally curious and I love the fact that we can tell so much about how a society grew, processed, stored and consumed plant-based food from a sample of soil! I quite like getting muddy, which is a good thing in this line of work and I get to travel to some really interesting places.”