Postgraduate Research Scholarship in Coastal Archaeology

This scholarship has been established to provide financial assistance to a PhD student to undertake research on the coastal archaeology of GunaiKurnai Country (Gippsland, Victoria), working at the interface between cultural heritage and biodiversity conservation and management. The PhD project will investigate the nature of mid to late Holocene coastal occupation and resource use, during a period of dynamic coastal and cultural change. By applying high-resolution archaeomalacological methods, the aim of this research is to examine interactions between humans and marine ecosystems. The project will investigate drivers of change and/or stability in human engagement with marine environments from c. 5,000 years ago into the present, addressing patterns of resilience and sustainability. It will aim to draw upon data from the past to inform management of GunaiKurnai Country today. The research will be undertaken collaboratively between the University of Sydney, the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology (MPI-GEA), Monash University and the GunaiKurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation (GLaWAC).