Prospective Students

Undergraduate volunteer opportunities: The Zooarchaeology Lab offers volunteer positions*, and we welcome students from a range of backgrounds. Please email Professor West or Laboratory Manager Samantha Kelley for more information.

Undergraduate research opportunities: Individual student research projects may be completed for course credit, with funding (as a work study project or through the BU UROP program), or as independent work for distinction (for seniors enrolled in AR401/402 only). These opportunities are available to students who have completed at least one semester of volunteer work in the lab, or have completed either AR518: Zooarchaeology or AR410: Archaeological Materials Analysis. Please contact Professor West directly to discuss possible projects.

Prospective graduate students: Professor West is actively recruiting both master’s and doctoral students. Students with an interest in North American hunter-gatherers are particularly encouraged to apply, though students interested in any area of zooarchaeology or the study of past human-environmental interactions are welcome. Please contact Professor West directly to discuss your potential application.

*We are currently accepting UROP-funded and honors undergraduate students, as well as MA and PhD projects. We are not accepting volunteers in the 2024-2025 academic year.