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The University of Southampton
HumanitiesPostgraduate study

Gareth Beale PhD Archaeology

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Hi, I'm Gareth Beale and I studied PhD Archaeology within Humanities at the University of Southampton.

The University of Southampton is well known for archaeology and it was an exciting prospect to be working in a world-class research environment involved in so many fantastic projects.

I have loved archaeology for as long as I can remember. I will never forget the excitement of finding a Civil War musket ball while 'excavating' the back garden of our house as a child! A lot of my earliest and fondest memories involve long walks with my parents and sister around or towards archaeological sites usually in the heavy rain which would come to characterise so many of my experiences of archaeology.

A world-class environment

The University of Southampton is well known for archaeology and it was an exciting prospect to be working in a world-class research environment involved in so many fantastic projects. Southampton is a great place to study, there is so much green space, a beautiful campus and lots of very good pubs!

I am studying for a PhD in archaeology. My research is focused on the digital reconstruction of painted Roman statues from Herculaneum in Italy. I completed my MSc in Archaeological Computing at Southampton and I decided that I wanted to go on to research in this area.

Studying across cultures

My PhD is supervised collaboratively by the University of Southampton and the Herculaneum Conservation Project. Consequently I have travelled quite a lot while I have been studying. The experience of working and studying within these two different cultures and research environments has been fantastic.

It has been great to have the freedom to pursue my own research interests. I have enjoyed a lot of support and encouragement from within Archaeology but also from across the University. I have been surprised at quite how busy I have been. I can't believe that I am already halfway through my second year.

After my BA at the University of Exeter I studied abroad for a year at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden before coming to Southampton for my MSc. After completing this part time I then worked at the University for a year within Archaeology before beginning my PhD. So it has been a slightly convoluted path but I have been within a university environment for the majority of this time.

Showcasing research

I was involved in helping to organise an event showcasing the various AHRC funded Collaborative Doctoral Awards in Humanities at Southampton which will help to publicise the benefits of the scheme as well as providing a showcase for our collaborative research projects. I am interested in participating in other careers related events. I currently have a fairly good idea about what I want to do next but I would certainly not rule out other options.

I would like to undertake some postdoctoral research. It would be nice to have time to expand on the work which I will have been doing for my PhD. Ultimately I am keen to work in higher education.

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