Research Scientist I

Job no: 529726

Position Type: Staff Part Time

Campus: UMass Boston

Department: Anthropology

Pay Grade: 32

Date opened: 06 Apr 2026 Eastern Daylight Time

Applications close: 31 May 2026 Eastern Daylight Time General Summary: Incumbents classified in the part-time (70%) Research Scientist series within the Andrew Fiske Memorial Center for Archaeological Research will engage in their own archaeological research programs and work collaboratively with other Fiske Center members on team research projects. The incumbent is expected to develop a publication record and apply for external sources of funding to further archaeological programs; and will provide support to the Anthropology Department’s graduate program in Historical Archaeology by mentoring students, directing their research, and supervising thesis projects. Examples of Duties:

• Engage in archaeological field and/or laboratory research, proposal development, report writing, publication, and related tasks as a member of the Fiske Center.

• Establish independent research program, serving as the Project Director and/or Principal Investigator (PI) for archaeology projects in respective area(s) of specialty; supervise site excavation and/or sample collection; process and catalogue artifacts and other field samples; carry out specialized field and/or laboratory analyses; and prepare technical reports for sponsors.

• Work collaboratively with other Fiske Center staff as a Co-PI or research team member on the development of proposals, project budgets, research plans, field investigations, laboratory analysis protocols, reports, and publications.

• Present the results of research work to a broader scholarly audience, presenting papers and posters at professional conferences and other appropriate venues; publish results of research in reports for sponsors and peer-reviewed publications, either independently or as part of a research team.

• Assist with the conservation of archaeological materials and supervise curation and exhibition of collections housed at the Fiske Center and the Department of Anthropology.

• Supervise the work of Graduate Research Assistants (GRAs) and other graduate and undergraduate students both in the field and in the laboratory, including teaching graduate students specialized aspect of data collection, analysis, and interpretation, as well as directing graduate thesis projects, as appropriate.

• Work with faculty in the Department of Anthropology as part of the Historical Archaeology Graduate Program Committee, reviewing graduate applications, awarding assistantships, participating in programmatic planning, reviewing thesis proposals, and serving on thesis committees (including as chair); supervise specialized fieldwork, laboratory analysis, computer database management, museum and interpretive studies of GRAs and other students in the Historical Archaeology MA program.

• Monitor expenditures to complete projects on budget and ensure that all students and staff are complying with sponsor regulations in the conduct of research, set forth by the university, the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs (ORSP) and sponsor regulations.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications: Research Scientist Level I: Ph.D. degree in anthropology, archaeology, artifact conservation or closely related field and a minimum of one-three years of experience working on archaeological projects required. Specialized skills in one or more area(s) of innovative archaeological materials or archaeometric analysis such as artifact conservation; residue analysis, stable isotope analysis; geoarchaeology; XRF; or similar expertise is required. A research focus on the processes that shaped the modern world is preferred; willingness to engage public/collaborative archaeology and apply analytical skills to the Center’s many regional projects is required. Scholarly potential as shown through success in peer-reviewed publication(s), grant proposal(s) or similar scholarly products preferred.

• Ability to develop research plans, protocols, and time and budget estimates for proposals to Federal, State, and other outside sponsors.

• Ability to complete sponsored projects and prepare final reports and other required products for outside sponsors.

• Ability to supervise and direct field and/or laboratory projects involving undergraduate and graduate students, including specialized analytical procedures, complex interpretive studies, and graduate thesis projects.

• Self-motivated, with ability to work independently on establishing a research program, while also participating in collaborative team projects.

• Strong organizational, communications, and computer skills.

• Ability to communicate effectively with clients and sponsors.

Application Instructions: Please apply online with your resume, cover letter and list of three professional references. Review of candidates will begin following the application closing date. Only Internal candidates in the Professional Staff Bargaining Unit will be considered during the first 10 business days of the posting. All other candidates will be considered after that period.