Durham Archaeology welcomes visiting academics. For the purposes of this document and the procedures outlined below, ‘visiting academics’ are generally active researchers based at other Higher Education institutions in the UK or abroad, or interested professionals from the worlds of museums and heritage. Typically, they may be engaged in joint publication with Durham staff or writing grant applications and, during their stay in Durham, they will be encouraged to make use of the University’s facilities and libraries as well as attend academic activities usually closed to the general public.
Durham has one of the largest Archaeology Departments in the world, offering an outstanding range of research and teaching expertise. Archaeology has been taught and studied at Durham University since 1931, which makes our staff and students part of a long tradition of learning. We count ourselves lucky to be based here, surrounded by a UNESCO World Heritage Site and so close to some of the country’s premier archaeological sites, such as Hadrian’s Wall and the Saxon monastery at Jarrow.
Our research is global, and ranges from early hominids to post-Medieval archaeology, with strengths in Bioarchaeology, European Prehistory, the worlds of Rome and Egypt, the Middle East and South Asia, and Medieval Europe. Our field programmes stretch from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean and involve excavation, survey and remote sensing, while our laboratory research ranges from human palaeopathology to the domestication of the pig and the earliest occupation of the North Atlantic. We are also active in the North East of England through research projects and Archaeological Services, who provide consultancy and specialist services to the development, environment and heritage sectors. All academic staff are involved in internationally significant research, and senior staff hold positions of national and international influence in the discipline, including UNESCO-sponsored excavations at the birthplace of the Buddha at Lumbini.
Below we provide detailed guidelines on how to apply to be a Visiting Scholar, and our expectations of you.
We would like Academic visitors to contribute positively to the overall research and learning environment of our department. The aims of your visit could be to:
Once your visit is approved, you will receive:
The Department does not provide financial support for travel, accommodation or subsistence. Scholars are responsible for ensuring that they have the correct travel documentation, including visas. At certain periods of the academic year, the Archaeology Department may be unable to guarantee office space to visiting academics. However, the Archaeology Department building is situated right next door to the Bill Bryson library with over 1200 study spaces. An induction to using the Archaeology library can be arranged prior to arrival. Durham University also provides wireless access points, to which visitors will have access. Academic visitors are therefore welcome to bring their own laptops with them, but must be aware that all laptops must have suitable and regularly updated anti-virus software, and must have up-to-date critical updates for Windows. Macintosh computers are also supported by the University’s IT department.
Most applications are for shorter stays of between 3 days and 3 months, although we will consider applications for longer stays in order to allow scholars to engage with academics working in related fields, for example to prepare grant applications. Applicants are strongly encouraged to plan their stay to cover at least part of an academic term, in order to maximise their exposure to the research community in the Archaeology Department.
Although you will be independent and responsible for your own research activities and work agenda whilst in Durham, the Archaeology Department considers it a priority for visiting scholars to be welcomed into our research community and be integrated as far as practicable into the work of the Archaeology Department. A key part in this process is played by the sponsor who must be willing to indicate clearly that they are familiar with the applicant's work and/or research area and support the application. Upon arrival at Durham, the visiting academic’s sponsor will introduce the scholar to other members of the research community at Durham. They will also invite visiting academics to any events being organised by the Archaeology Department, and will otherwise be available to provide assistance. The sponsor should also facilitate the visiting scholar's active contribution to research at Durham’s Archaeology Department.
Difficulties may arise if the sponsor is not present for the full duration of a scholar's research stay. If this is the case, the sponsor is responsible for approaching a second member of staff who will provide support in their absence.
Visitors are charged a baseline fee to cover the costs of the administration involved with the visit, and may also be charged bench fees for use of laboratories. Durham Archaeology’s Department does not provide a salary or other payments to visitors. Visitors should apply for research funding schemes through their own home institution or equivalent. Durham University has its own funding opportunities through colleges and institutes. The academic visitor is responsible for his/her own travel, accommodation and maintenance costs as well as ensuring that they have the correct travel documentation, including visas.
Durham Archaeology can supply an official letter confirming acceptance as an Academic Visitor that can be used to support any application made, but unfortunately the Archaeology Department cannot assist the applicant with an application for a visa or work permit for the purpose of the visit.
Visitors will be asked to provide the Archaeology Department with a short biography and a statement of what they intend to do during their visit prior to their arrival (see Point 9 below). This information may then be posted on the Academic Visitors' section of the Department's website. This information can be amended upon request.
At the end of their stay, visitors will be asked to provide a short report to be attached to their web profile, providing a brief account of any research or other activities undertaken and how they have contributed to the Department during their stay. In addition, the Archaeology Department requests that any visitor who uses his/her visit for research purposes, and subsequently publishes material arising from this research, acknowledge the department, but also send the Department a copy or off-print of any book, article or any other publication which results from their time in Durham.
Applications will be accepted at any point during the year and will not be restricted to University term time. The application takes the form of a CV, short statement of interests and activities to be undertaken (2000 words), intended duration of stay and the name of the nominated sponsor, with a short statement of support (100 words max). Your proposal will be considered by the Department’s Research Committee against the expectations outlined above. We strongly recommend you apply well in advance of your proposed visit dates.
It is the responsibility of the visiting academic to ensure that they have somewhere to stay during their time in Durham. Unfortunately, the Archaeology Department cannot assist in any way in helping a visitor to find somewhere to stay. Please be advised that accommodation in Durham city centre can be very expensive and is in high demand especially during the summer months.
It is sometimes possible to book accommodation in one of the University's Colleges. You can do this via the Event Durham webpages. Alternatively, Durham City Tourism Information has details of local B&Bs, as well as hotels.
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