RESEARCH Geoarchaeology of Hydraulic

SCHOLARSHIP Collapse (Sri Lanka)

AMOUNT
$28092 pa
(for 3.5 years, plus 4 years’
fee relief)

OPENING DATE
01/08/2020

CLOSING DATES
30/09/2020
(International) SUPERVISORS:
Dr Keir Strickland (La Trobe University, Australia)
31/10/2020 Prof Ian Simpson (University of Stirling, UK)
(Aus/NZ) PROJECT:
This PhD scholarship is part of the Australian Research Council
(ARC) funded project ‘An archaeological investigation into the
AVAILABLE TO collapse of Polonnaruva, Sri Lanka’ (DP190100485).

Future Phd Students
(domestic or international)
The successful candidate will work as part of a larger team to
investigate the development and failure of the low-density urban
state of Polonnaruva (Sri Lanka). The medieval “collapse” of
Polonnaruva marked the end of the lowland kingdoms in Sri
Lanka’s arid north, and the end of a distinctive and successful form
of hydraulic low-density urban settlement. Recent research at
Anuradhapura suggests the very economic system that enabled
these kingdoms to flourish within a marginal environment, may
have facilitated their collapse.
The PhD student will undertake inter-disciplinary investigations to
produce a chronological narrative for the development,
management, and abandonment of the Polonnaruva urban
hinterland and its hydraulic infrastructure. These investigations
require integration of archaeological field survey and GIS based
mapping of sites and hydraulic features (canals, sluices, reservoirs)
with geoarchaeological analyses of associated soil and sedimentary
stratigraphies through application of Optically Stimulated
Luminescence (OSL), radiocarbon and thin section
micromorpohology.

Benefits of the scholarship include:

• a La Trobe Research Scholarship for three and a half years,
with a value of $28,092.00 per annum, to support your living
costs (2019 rate)
• a fee-relief scholarship for up to four years to undertake a PhD
at La Trobe University
• opportunities to work with La Trobe’s outstanding
researchers, and have access to our suite of professional
development programs.

Are you eligible to apply?

To be eligible to apply for this scholarship applicants should have
either a strong Honours or Masters degree in a relevant subject.

How to apply
If you wish to apply for this scholarship, follow these steps:
1. review details on how to apply for candidature
2. contact the project supervisor, Dr Keir
Strickland, k.strickland@latrobe.edu.au with any enquiries
or to express an interest in the project
3. when you have received in-principle agreement for
supervision, complete and submit your application by 30
September 2020 (for international applicants) OR 31
October 2020 (for Aus/NZ applicants)
4. complete and submit your application for admission into
La Trobe’s PhD program, indicating you wish to be
considered for this scholarship on the application.

Who to contact for further information

Dr Keir Strickland, k.strickland@latrobe.edu.au

https://www.latrobe.edu.au/scholarships/geoarchaeology-of-
hydraulic-collapse-sri-lanka-research-scholarship