We invite applications for a 3-year funded PhD studentship starting in October 2025 as part of the project “Entangled materialities and new global histories from southern Africa (ENTANGLED).” The PhD is co-funded by the Cambridge Trust and a UKRI Frontier Research Grant.
ENTANGLED is an interdisciplinary project that addresses connections between southern Africa and the Indian Ocean World during the Global Middle Ages (500-1500 CE). The aim of ENTANGLED is to assess the development of maritime economies in southern Mozambique, the nature and directionality of trade routes that linked interior and coastal communities, and the value of traded items across diverse paths of exchange and consumption. Doing so, the project will address the agency of southern African coastal communities in shaping global connections and contribute towards repositioning southern Africa in global history.
We are looking for a highly motivated PhD student to join the project. The selected student will be supervised by the PI of the project (Dr Abigail Moffett, University of Cambridge) and by Professor Paul Lane (University of Cambridge). The PhD project will focus on the analysis of excavated materials from the coastal regions of southern Mozambique, with an opportunity to develop expertise in a range of materials based analytical techniques. The successful applicant will possess an ability for rigorous, creative and independent thought, have ability to work as part of a team and be willing to spend part of their PhD undertaking fieldwork in Mozambique.
Candidates must meet the requirement for a PhD application in archaeology (see details here), and have (or expect to obtain) a Master’s degree in archaeology or a cognate discipline, with a specialisation in southern Africa. Ideally, applicants will have knowledge of or interest in material culture studies, however, we also welcome applicants with interests in other areas that share the methodological scope of the project. In order to conduct the research, the successful candidate will need relevant linguistic skills in Portuguese or Xitswa, or a willingness to acquire such skills during the course of the PhD, and a willingness to undertake fieldwork in Mozambique.
The PhD student will be part of the Entangled core team (the PI, two post-doctoral researchers, one doctoral student and the project coordinator) based at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge. The core team will work closely with a number of collaborators based in the UK, Mozambique and internationally, and the project will have a strong base in Mozambique, where much of the research will be carried out.
The studentship will provide a stipend covering maintenance and fee costs the UKRI rate for three years, plus 6 -12 months discretionary additional maintenance for finalising the dissertation. Immigration health surcharge and visa fees in the event of the successful candidate is a non-UK citizen, plus fieldwork costs and selected conference attendance, as well as maintenance payments for the duration of parental leave are all additionally covered. We encourage minorities and women to apply, and particularly encourage applicants from Mozambique and elsewhere in southern Africa.
Applications should be submitted for the PhD in Archaeology via the Applicant Portal. In addition to the standard application materials, you must state that you are applying for the McDonald Institute Cambridge International Entangled Scholarship in your ‘Statement of Research Interest’ and upload a cover letter (no more than two pages) outlining your suitability for this project and what you will bring to the team. You should indicate that you would like to apply for funding from the Cambridge Trust, and select the McDonald Institute Cambridge International Entangled Scholarship for funding avenues. Please note that the deadline for funding applications is the 7th of January 2025.
For any further information and informal enquiries please feel free to contact Dr Abigail Moffett (am3285@cam.ac.uk).
Entangled Project 