Detecting Climatic Impacts and Responses at Ancient Rome through Co-Analysis of Limestone Deposits from Caves and Aqueducts (PDS Award) The University of Manchester in United Kingdom

This PhD opportunity at The University of Manchester, funded by the President’s Doctoral Scholar Award, aims to unravel the complex interactions between climate and communities in ancient Rome. The project leverages Rome’s extensive historical and archaeological record, spanning over a millennium, to conduct a longitudinal study of rainfall variability and its impact on the city’s growth, water management, and eventual decline. By pioneering a new co-analysis of calcium carbonate (limestone) deposits from caves (speleothems) and river-fed aqueducts, the research will produce the first high-resolution, local rainfall record for Rome, contextualizing both ancient and contemporary climate adaptation strategies.

Key research questions include: What changes in rainfall occurred during the Roman Empire’s growth and decline? How did Roman water management adapt to climatic, environmental, and socio-political changes? What was Rome’s long-term relationship with water, and how did this shape its development? The project will combine multiple climate proxies (oxygen isotope ratios, fluorescence, trace elements) from radiometrically dated speleothems and aqueduct limestones to reconstruct rainfall patterns at decadal and sub-seasonal resolution. Correlation of hydrological events between these records will improve dating precision and reveal short-lived events preserved in aqueduct carbonates, including dark layers that record changing flowrates and water management practices.

The successful candidate will join an international team with access to world-class analytical facilities in the UK (Manchester and NICEST laboratory at Northumbria University) and France (LSCE climate laboratory in Paris). Training in low-temperature geochemical techniques and paleoclimate analysis will be provided, along with opportunities for commercial experience through industry partners in the UK and Romania.

Applicants should have a First class Bachelor’s (Honours) degree and a Master’s degree in a relevant subject, with strong academic performance. Desirable skills include experience in petrographic and geochemical analysis of carbonates, Mediterranean archaeology, and fieldwork in Rome. English language proficiency is required, with minimum scores specified for IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE tests, or a recent degree from a majority English-speaking nation. Application materials must include academic transcripts, CV, supporting statement, writing sample, and two academic referees. No PhD proposal is required.

The President’s Doctoral Scholar Award covers full tuition fees and a stipend at the UKRI rate, plus a £1,000 enhancement for 3.5 years. Candidates are responsible for relocation and associated costs. The application deadline is March 18, 2026, and interviews are expected in May 2026. For further information or questions, contact Prof Duncan Keenan-Jones at [email protected]. More details are available on the university’s website.