Vacancy for an
European Commission Funded
Research Assistant/Research Associate post in:
Behavioural and Cognitive Organization of Stone Tool-making
Salary Scale:
Research Assistant (without a PhD) Grade 6 point 24-26 (£23,002 - £24,403 + £2,572 London Allowance)
Research Associate (with a PhD) Grade 7 point 29-36 (£26,666 - £32,796 + £2,572 London Allowance)
Duration: 6 months
Application Deadline: Friday 12th October 2007
Contents:
HANDTOMOUTH........................................................................................................................................ 2
The AHRC Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity (AHRC CECD) .................................. 3
The Post ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
Job Description ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Person Specification ................................................................................................................................ 6
Salary ........................................................................................................................................................... 7
Applications ............................................................................................................................................... 7
HANDTOMOUTH, AHRC Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity, Institute of Archaeology, University College London
31-34 Gordon Square, London WC1H 0PY
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 4607, Fax: +44 (0)20 7383 2572
Sponsored by
Supported by:
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Overview
The successful applicant will work in collaboration with archaeologists, neuroscientists and behavioural
scientists, and will have specific responsibility for 1) behavioural recording of video-taped stone toolmaking sessions, and 2) curation and analysis of experimental lithic artefacts. This position offers the
opportunity to work in an exciting interdisciplinary environment, on issues that are fundamental for
understanding human evolution and human uniqueness.
HANDTOMOUTH Project Goals
HANDTOMOUTH is a new three-year consortium project, funded under the European Commission’s
FP6 NEST Pathfinder initiative ‘What it means to be human’. Scientific sub-projects will focus on
evolutionary aspects of speech physiology, and comparative approaches to action observation and
action generation. Work will be carried out by investigators at University College London, England (Dr
James Steele, Dr Dietrich Stout); the University of Southampton, England (Dr Anna Barney); CNRS,
Paris, France (Dr Agnes Roby-Brami); EHESS, Paris, France (Dr Blandine Bril); and the University of
Parma (Dr Leo Fogassi). The overall scientific co-ordinator is Dr James Steele.
HANDTOMOUTH develops a framework for understanding archaeological and fossil evidence for the
evolution of speech and manual dexterity. We focus on low-order parameters which can potentially be
assessed in fossil and archaeological evidence. The focus will be on motor control in complex, serially
ordered, goal-directed movements, with two sub-themes:
Speech production. This will include physical and digital modelling of vocal tracts of extinct hominins
based on anatomical parameters, to recover the range of articulatory manoeuvres and acoustic
characteristics. There will also be a comparative anatomical study of primate cranial nerves, which will
address a neural substrate for speech motor control and sensory feedback regulation.
Tool use. This will address the relationship between action understanding and the self-generation of
action sequences in human and non-human primates. It will include behavioural analysis of the action
recognition system of nonhuman primates in sequentially complex action observation tasks, and
kinematic analysis of movement control in stone tool-making and other tool-using tasks in healthy and
apraxic human subjects.
As a unifying framework, we intend to re-evaluate the possibility that speech may have evolved from an
underlying substrate regulating socially-learned tool use, reflecting shared features of neural architecture.
We will identify possible areas of convergence and/or homology in behavioural organization and in
neural architecture in the two systems. HANDTOMOUTH will enable us to evaluate the extent to which
their parallel evolution towards greater complexity in humans was necessary or contingent (and with a
better understanding of the evidential controls).
For further information, please refer to the project web site: http://www.handtomouth.ucl.ac.uk
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The AHRC Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity (AHRC CECD)
The AHRC CECD has offices within University College London (UCL) at the Institute of Archaeology,
with Principal Investigators at UCL in the Departments of Anthropology, Archaeology, and Biology. Other
Principal Investigators are based in the Universities of British Columbia, Durham, Edinburgh, and St
Andrews.
University College London and the Institute of Archaeology
University College London (UCL) is a multi-faculty college of the University of London with a population of
over 17,000 students, from more than 130 different countries. Degree programmes are provided in Arts and
Humanities, Social and Historical Sciences, Architecture, Building, Environmental Design and Planning,
Laws, Life Sciences and Clinical Sciences (including Medicine), Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and
Engineering Sciences.
The Institute of Archaeology, UCL is recognised as one of the leading academic departments of
Archaeology not just in the UK but globally. The Institute is the largest department of Archaeology in the
UK, with the largest graduate research community, and the broadest range of coverage in the field, of
any UK department, and offers a uniquely stimulating environment for the study of all fields of
archaeology.
The AHRC Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity (AHRC CECD)
As a world leader in its field, the AHRC CECD aims to advance understanding of human cultural
diversity. It is a collaborative institution involving a large national and international network. Its research
programme focuses on the relation between cultural and linguistic diversity, as these influence and
respond to variation in the size and structure of human populations. Methodological and theoretical
advances in evolutionary biology are adapted and applied to a wide range of case studies in cultural
history. The Centre is also funded to undertake a major outreach programme to convey the importance
of this work to academic and non-academic audiences.
Aims and Objectives
The AHRC CECD is a Phase Two AHRC Research Centre (2006-2010), focusing on accelerating the
development of the new discipline: Cultural Evolutionary Studies. This is currently emerging in the
interstices of several existing fields, including archaeology, anthropology, linguistics, human genetics
and mathematical modelling.
To achieve this we are:
• Setting up collaborative research networks with other groups and individuals currently working in
relative isolation from one another to produce a critical mass of workers and projects in this field.
• Working with these networks to carry out a series of research projects on key issues for the
understanding of cultural evolution.
• Training a new generation of researchers, not just within a single institution but through the holding of
open international summer schools and exchange visits.
• Developing and disseminating new theoretical ideas and methodological tools.
• Fostering the building of publicly available databases of the kind that are now mandatory in
evolutionary biology.
• Setting up administrative structures that support the maintenance of long-term links between
researchers and institutions.
• Making the wider academic and non-academic community aware of the new discipline and its
significance through an outreach programme.
For further details of the Centre’s activities, please refer to the website: http://www.cecd.ucl.ac.uk
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The Post
PROJECT TITLE: Behavioural and Cognitive Organization of Stone Tool-making
BRIEF OUTLINE: The successful applicant will work in collaboration with archaeologists, neuroscientists
and behavioural scientists, and will have specific responsibility for 1) behavioural recording of videotaped stone tool-making sessions, and 2) curation and analysis of experimental lithic artefacts. This
position offers the opportunity to work in an exciting interdisciplinary environment, on issues that are
fundamental for understanding human evolution and human uniqueness.
PROJECT DETAIL:
Objectives
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To develop a behavioural coding scheme for stone tool-making action observation
To use this scheme to describe the sequential and hierarchical structure of stone tool-making
behaviour
To identify skill-related variation in stone tool-making behaviour
To identify artefactual correlates of this variation
Description of work
Video footage of expert and novice subjects will be used to develop a coding scheme capable of
representing the behavioural organization of Mode I and Mode II stone tool-making. This scheme will be
applied to further experimental footage and analyzed using appropriate behavioural observation software
(Actogram, Noldus or similar) in order to identify sequential and hierarchical patterning. Lithic artefacts
produced during the experimental sessions will be analyzed in order to identify skill-related variation.
This will be compared with results from behavioural observation in order identify artefactual correlates of
variation in tool-making action organization.
Application of results by other collaborators
Results of this research will be applied by Dietrich Stout to the analysis of lithic artefacts from the
Palaeolithic archaeological site of Boxgrove in order to better understand the tool-making skills,
behavioural and cognitive capabilities of Middle Pleistocene hominins.
Dissemination of results
The outcomes of this work will be disseminated by attendance at an appropriate international conference
and by the preparation of journal articles for peer refereed journals.
Job Description
Job title:
European Commission-funded Research Assistant/Research Associate in:
Behavioural and Cognitive Organization of Stone Tool-making
Duration:
Six Months
Department:
Institute of Archaeology
Salary:
Research Assistant (without a PhD) Grade 6 point 24-26 (£23,002 - £24,403 + £2,572
London Allowance)
Research Associate (with a PhD) Grade 7 point 29-36 (£26,666 - £32,796 + £2,572 London
Allowance)
Responsible to:
Dr Dietrich Stout
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Main Purpose:
The postholder will be required to carry out research involving lithic analysis and the behavioural
observation of stone tool-making (as part of a research team).
Main Activities & Responsibilities:

Organize, curate and analyse experimental lithic artefacts

Work with supervisor and colleagues to develop and implement coding scheme for stone toolmaking behavioural observation

Work with supervisor to code 30+ hours of experimental video data

Read academic papers, journals and textbooks and to keep abreast of relevant information and
developments.

Co-ordinate and liaise with other members of the research group over work progress.
The postholder will actively follow UCL policies including Equal Opportunities and Race Equality policies.
The postholder will maintain an awareness and observation of Fire and Health & Safety Regulations.
This job description reflects the present requirements of the post. As duties and responsibilities change
and develop the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the
postholder.
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Person Specification
(E: Essential, D: Desirable)
Applicants should demonstrate evidence of the following:
Knowledge
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A postgraduate degree (MA or PhD) in any relevant area (e.g. archaeology, anthropology,
psychology) (E)
Familiarity with lithic technology (D)
Familiarity with human evolutionary studies (D)
Familiarity with behavioural observation (D)
Skills and abilities
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Experience of coding and analysis of behavioural observations (D)
Experience of lithic analysis (D)
Experience of stone tool-making (D)
Personal Qualities
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Good communication skills (E)
Commitment to high quality research, including excellent attention to detail (E)
Strong organisational skills and personal initiative (E)
Ability to work within a small team and to integrate activities within the framework of a larger
project (E)
Commitment to UCL’s policy of equal opportunity and the ability to work harmoniously with
colleagues and students of all cultures and backgrounds (E)
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Salary
This appointment is available from 1st January 2008. The salary will be on the UCL salary scale for a
Research Assistant (without a PhD) Grade 6 point 24-26 (£23,002 - £24,403 + £2,572 London Allowance)
Or for a Research Associate (with a PhD) Grade 7 point 29-36 (£26,666 - £32,796 + £2,572 London
Allowance.
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/salary_scales/final_grades.php
Applications
Please submit an application form (downloadable from
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/docs/download_forms/job_app.doc) together with a CV including your academic
and employment history, and any additional relevant skills. Please outline in your covering letter your
reasons for applying and why you think you are a strong candidate for the post.
Please include the names and contact details (including email and fax) of at least two referees. Please
indicate whether we can contact your referees without further permission from you.
Applications should be sent (by post or email) to arrive by the specified closing date to:
The HANDTOMOUTH Project Manager
c/o Manu Davies, Administrator,
AHRC Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity,
Institute of Archaeology,
University College London,
31-34 Gordon Square,
London WC1H 0PY
Tel: +44 (0)20 7679 4607
Fax: +44 (0)20 7383 2572
Email: manu.davies@ucl.ac.uk
Short-listed candidates will be invited to attend a formal interview soon after the closing date for receipt
of applications.
Informal enquiries may be addressed to Dr Dietrich Stout on +44 (0)20 7679 4742 or by email to
dietrich.stout@ucl.ac.uk
CLOSING DATE FOR APPLICATIONS: Friday 12th October 2007
Interview Date: Interviews will be held during week commencing Monday 5th November 2007.
Proposed Start Date: 1st January 2008, or as soon as possible thereafter.
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