Postdoctoral Research Associate: Geoarchaeology of Drowned Gulf Landscapes

Location: College Station, Texas, United States. The role is based at the Center for the Study of the First Americans and includes travel throughout the Gulf Coast for fieldwork, archival sediment sampling, and partner meetings. Some work may take place on weekends or outside normal hours.

Salary: $4,500 per month; $54,000 annually.

Company

Texas A&M University is a research university whose Department of Anthropology studies human culture, society, biology, evolution, and archaeology.

What you will do

• Develop regional paleo-landscape reconstructions identifying Gulf areas with potential for preserved pre-Contact archaeological remains.
• Participate in offshore research, research cruises, and analysis of remote-sensing data and geoarchaeological samples.
• Analyze legacy datasets, sediment cores, geologic materials, sediments, and radiocarbon samples.
• Conduct geoarchaeological fieldwork and support archival sampling, data interpretation, and future survey methodologies.
• Engage Tribal communities with project partners and incorporate their perspectives into landscape and survey models.
• Maintain datasets and metadata to international standards, prepare project reports, and write scholarly articles.

Requirements

• PhD in an appropriate related field.
• Open water SCUBA certification is required.
• Ability to participate in offshore fieldwork, travel throughout the Gulf Coast, and attend partner meetings and training workshops.
• Strong verbal, written, presentation, analytical, and attention-to-detail skills.

Nice to have

• Experience with Southeastern archaeology, offshore research, sediment core analysis, or geophysical data analysis.
• AAUS scientific diver certification.
• Experience with GIS, remote sensing, geomorphology, geophysics, geoarchaeology, oceanography, or paleoclimatology.
• Strong record of journal publications and external funding.
• Master’s degree with ABD classification in anthropology, archaeology, geology, geophysics, oceanography, or a related field.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative research environment focused on cultural resource stewardship and submerged cultural landscapes.
• Medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life, AD&D, flexible spending, and long-term disability insurance.
• Texas A&M contributes to employee health and basic life insurance premiums.
• 12–15 paid annual holidays, monthly paid sick leave, and paid vacation.
• Automatic enrollment in the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and access to free exercise programs and release time.

Hiring process

• Submit an application, cover letter, CV, and contact information for three academic references.
• References may be contacted along with invitations to interview.
• For best consideration, apply by October 20, 2026.