Periodic Reporting for period 2 - ArchSci2020 (Archaeology on the Edge: Northern Europe and the Circumpolar World)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2018-04-01 al 2021-03-31
ArchSci2020 (archsci2020.eu) provided structured state-of-the-art doctoral training to the next generation of archaeologists and biomolecular scientists. Few other academic disciplines have been so transformed in the last decade as archaeology. ArchSci2020 met the needs of an evolving discipline by forging a new generation of biomolecular archaeologists. The ArchSci2020 network brought together four leading research clusters each with complementary expertise to deliver an integrated, flexible training package that provided a sound basis for academic independence and preparation for vocations in archaeology, heritage and beyond. Focusing on the archaeology of Northern Europe and the Circumpolar World, ArchSci2020 combined (i) a common purpose, (ii) an unconditional commitment to the student experience, (iii) a proactive stance towards international, inter-institutional research support and interdisciplinary study, (iv) a simple but effective management structure provided by a Management Team, Supervisory Committee and the Work Package leaders, and (v) a well-established academic and research infrastructure. The interdisciplinary, research-based training we delivered provided the early-stage researchers (ESRs) with specific research-related and transferable skills, enhancing their career prospects across academia, industry and the third sector, and setting new standards for the practice of biomolecular archaeology.
Work Package 1: Management. Over the course of the project (2016-2021), the management team has 1) drawn up and implemented the Consortium Agreement, 2) overseen the recruitment of the ESRs, 3) liaised with the Supervisory Board, 4) co-ordinated activities to ensure that cooperation and communication are as open and efficient as possible, 5) covered employment status of the recruited researchers, IPR and the supervision arrangements, including qualifications of the supervisors and 6) interfaced with the European Commission and the hosts’ EU offices, taking responsibility for the administrative, legal, financial and accounting management. For the last two years the main focus for the Management Team has been on implementing the two amendments to the grant agreement and n mitigating the impact of the COVID pandemic, and we are happy to report on the flexibility of the respective institutes to revise their regulations on the examination process in the light of Covid-19, but which resulted in a much smaller carbon footprint than was originally envisaged.
Work Package 2: Research. The research was the main focus of the EJD and the primary means through which training was delivered. Focusing primarily on the archaeology of Northern Europe and the Circumpolar World and the application of cutting-edge techniques in biomolecular archaeology, the research was carried out at the four host institutions and during secondments at collaborating institutions. The ESR’s individual research projects spanned across different subfields and employed various methodologies and approaches in biomolecular archaeology, including ancient genomics, palaeoproteomics, stable isotope analyses, radiocarbon dating, and residue analyses. More information on each of the research projects can be found on the project website at archsci2020.eu.
Work Package 3: Training. In addition to the research-based training we delivered bespoke training sessions focusing on transferable skills, such as project management, writing and communication skills, public engagement, policy development, grant writing and career development. The training was delivered through 6 workshops, which were held in Copenhagen, Groningen, Brussels, and Stockholm, respectively. As part of the regular 6 monthly TAP (Thesis Advisory Panel) meetings ESRs were encouraged to reflect on their previous six months of training and consider what additional training is required for the next 6 months. More information on the individual training workshops can be found on the project website at archsci2020.eu. The success of the training element is most clearly demonstrated by the award of PhDs: All students who submitted their thesis passed successfully at both institutions and all of them have taken up postdoc positions or found employment outside of academia, e.g. in the third sector.
Work Package 4: Impact. The “Impact” work package dealt primarily with the publication and wider dissemination of the network’s training, research, and public engagement activities. Results were primarily disseminated through 1) the project website, 2) peer-reviewed publications (see list of publications), 3) conference presentations, 4) media interviews and, 5) social media (e.g. Twitter). In addition, we produced 6) a series of short videos featuring each of the ESRs and their research, which are available on youtube and our project website. In total, the ESRs published over 40 peer-reviewed publications during the project period and we expect more to follow after the end of the project. Several of the publications were published in high-impact journals and were widely shared in social media. For example, a publication on the genomics of ancient mastics from Scandinavia (Jensen et al. 2019) has been accessed over 90k times since publication and ranks in the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric.
Work Package 2: Research. The research was the main focus of the EJD and the primary means through which training was delivered. Focusing primarily on the archaeology of Northern Europe and the Circumpolar World and the application of cutting-edge techniques in biomolecular archaeology, the research was carried out at the four host institutions and during secondments at collaborating institutions. The ESR’s individual research projects spanned across different subfields and employed various methodologies and approaches in biomolecular archaeology, including ancient genomics, palaeoproteomics, stable isotope analyses, radiocarbon dating, and residue analyses. More information on each of the research projects can be found on the project website at archsci2020.eu.
Work Package 3: Training. In addition to the research-based training we delivered bespoke training sessions focusing on transferable skills, such as project management, writing and communication skills, public engagement, policy development, grant writing and career development. The training was delivered through 6 workshops, which were held in Copenhagen, Groningen, Brussels, and Stockholm, respectively. As part of the regular 6 monthly TAP (Thesis Advisory Panel) meetings ESRs were encouraged to reflect on their previous six months of training and consider what additional training is required for the next 6 months. More information on the individual training workshops can be found on the project website at archsci2020.eu. The success of the training element is most clearly demonstrated by the award of PhDs: All students who submitted their thesis passed successfully at both institutions and all of them have taken up postdoc positions or found employment outside of academia, e.g. in the third sector.
Work Package 4: Impact. The “Impact” work package dealt primarily with the publication and wider dissemination of the network’s training, research, and public engagement activities. Results were primarily disseminated through 1) the project website, 2) peer-reviewed publications (see list of publications), 3) conference presentations, 4) media interviews and, 5) social media (e.g. Twitter). In addition, we produced 6) a series of short videos featuring each of the ESRs and their research, which are available on youtube and our project website. In total, the ESRs published over 40 peer-reviewed publications during the project period and we expect more to follow after the end of the project. Several of the publications were published in high-impact journals and were widely shared in social media. For example, a publication on the genomics of ancient mastics from Scandinavia (Jensen et al. 2019) has been accessed over 90k times since publication and ranks in the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric.
In addition to the usual channels of dissemination (e.g. publications, conference presentations and social media), we have given the students space in which to take the initiative themselves and to share their research results with wider communities. For example, ESR6, Xenia Weber (Keighley), organized a series of ‘Walrus Research Days’ bringing together all of the major biologists and geneticists interested in the genetics of walrus populations in the Atlantic.
Originally intended to ensure that there was no overlap between potentially competing projects, the’ Walrus Research Day’ proved extremely successful and the team is now planning a research volume, bringing together all the different strands of research into the history of the exploitation of Walrus populations over the past 3 millennia. Using their Chromebooks and Google education accounts ESRs could access a sophisticated range of online tools to help bridge distances within the network. This proved particularly useful during the pandemic and the resulting lockdown. For example, the ESRs made use of shared online bibliographic and writing tools (e.g. Paperpile and Google Docs) to co-author research articles with other members of the ArchSci2020 network. These resources travel with them beyond the end of the training network and they will have access to their email, Paperpile and cloud drive accounts beyond the limit of the network (as the original LeCHe ITN students whose ESR contracts ended a decade ago).
In addition, the ESRs used video conferencing tools (e.g. Google Meet and Zoom) to arrange online discussion forums and to help run supervisory meetings and shared documents to record activities. The final project meeting, showcasing the ESRs research, was also held online. Finally, the ESRs produced a series of short videos in collaboration with the UK-based production company Videocake (https://videocake.co.uk/) featuring the ESRs and their research. The videos were widely shared on social media and are now available on youtube and the project website (archsci2020.eu).
Originally intended to ensure that there was no overlap between potentially competing projects, the’ Walrus Research Day’ proved extremely successful and the team is now planning a research volume, bringing together all the different strands of research into the history of the exploitation of Walrus populations over the past 3 millennia. Using their Chromebooks and Google education accounts ESRs could access a sophisticated range of online tools to help bridge distances within the network. This proved particularly useful during the pandemic and the resulting lockdown. For example, the ESRs made use of shared online bibliographic and writing tools (e.g. Paperpile and Google Docs) to co-author research articles with other members of the ArchSci2020 network. These resources travel with them beyond the end of the training network and they will have access to their email, Paperpile and cloud drive accounts beyond the limit of the network (as the original LeCHe ITN students whose ESR contracts ended a decade ago).
In addition, the ESRs used video conferencing tools (e.g. Google Meet and Zoom) to arrange online discussion forums and to help run supervisory meetings and shared documents to record activities. The final project meeting, showcasing the ESRs research, was also held online. Finally, the ESRs produced a series of short videos in collaboration with the UK-based production company Videocake (https://videocake.co.uk/) featuring the ESRs and their research. The videos were widely shared on social media and are now available on youtube and the project website (archsci2020.eu).