I'm doing a PhD in Landscape and Environmental
Archaeology but I'm doing it part-time, and
I've been doing it for around about 18 months
now. I work mostly from home except when I'm
in the lab
I need lab facilities so I work principally
out of the labs within the Archaeology Department.
So what that means is access to collections.
I've got a very good collection in the form
of the Gorram collection for fossilised beetle
remains. There is also a very good bone collection
should I need that, but in terms of what I
need in order to do my job that’s there
for me. What we don’t have was a good archaeobotany
collection which was accessed to fossilised
seeds and plant remains, and so in order to
achieve that, via my supervisor, I organised
a placement with Historic England down in
Portsmouth which I've just completed and that
was great.
I see my supervisors quite regularly, but
we have more formal meetings on a fairly regular
basis, about every two months, and that’s
good because it gives you a degree of structure,
and one of the nice things about that setup
is that I have lots and lots of flexibility
in terms of the way in which I organise my
work.
I know that there is a really good postgraduate
community around here, and for my small area
I'm well in touch with the people who are
doing similar things to me, and they're all
very supportive as well.
This is not my first career, and the nice
thing about coming back to university is the
stimulation of being with lots and lots of
people in a really good learning environment.
I enjoy that. The atmosphere’s very, very
supportive in terms of learning, and there's
flexibility to study what I want to study.
The best tip is it’s an absolutely unique
and totally rewarding experience. Don’t
underestimate the hard work involved, I mean
it really, really is hard work, but it’s
going to be worth it in the end I know that.
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