Environmental laboratory

The environmental laboratory is dedicated to the analysis of plant macro-remains from archaeological sites (archaeobotany or paleoethnobotany), with additional facilities for pollen, shells, etc. It consists of purpose-built work and storage space, microscopes, a substantial reference collection of seeds, cereals and fruits (ca. 1,500 taxa). It also houses a large collection of identification manuals, including digital access to the Plant Atlas.

Archaeobotany at the University of Leicester is formally taught as part of both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. We also have a strong research community with a number of students undertaking their undergraduate and Masters dissertations, and doctoral research in the discipline. Some of these students are studying by distance learning. In addition to formal teaching, we also encourage undergraduate students to undertake voluntary work in the laboratory.

All members of staff associated with the laboratory are involved in a wide range of active research projects. Find out more about our projects:

• Current research