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Find a PhD Supervisor

Professor Eileen Murphy

School of Natural and Built Environment
Eileen Murphy

Professor Eileen Murphy

School of Natural and Built Environment

Eileen’s research focuses particularly on human skeletal populations recovered from prehistoric Russia and all periods in Ireland. She is particularly interested in the use of approaches from bioarchaeology and funerary archaeology to help further understanding of the lives and experiences of people in the past. Another of her research interests involves the study of past children and she is the founding editor of the international journal, Childhood in the Past.

Contact info

  • View Academic Profile
  • eileen.murphy@qub.ac.uk
  • +44 (0)28 9097 3979

Research Interests

Open to PhD applications in the areas of;

  • Bioarchaeology (especially of Irish and Eurasian populations)
  • Burial practices (including atypical, minority, deviant practices)
  • Children's burial grounds (cillíní)
  • Childhood in the past
  • Archaeology of the Irish diaspora
  • Community archaeology
  • Archaeology of Fermanagh

Make a PhD enquiry


Public outreach & key achievements

Eileen was a founding leader of the Belfast Young Archaeologists’ Club that has been running in Queen’s since 2006. She is Co-Director, with Dr Colm Donnelly, of the Centre for Community Archaeology. She was awarded the Visit Belfast Ambassador of the Year award in 2019 for her role in securing the annual conference of the European Association of Archaeologists (EAA) for Belfast in 2023.


Research students

PhD area Bioarchaeology, Archaeothanatology and Social Dimensions of Eurasian Steppe Populations from the Bronze Age to Iron Age
Name Jeanna Loyer
Years of study 2013 -2019
Country France
   
PhD area Palaeopathology of Ornithopod Dinosaurs
Name Filippo Bertozzo
Years of study Jan 2017 – present
Country Italy
   
PhD area Biomechanics of Physically Impaired Individuals from Medieval Ireland
Name Jess White
Years of study Jan 2018 – present
Country Republic of Ireland


 


Alumni: Where are they now

PhD area Palaeodietary Analysis of Prehistoric Populations from the Minusinsk Khakass Basin
Name Dr Svetlana Svyatko
Years of study 2005 - 2009
Country South Siberia
Current Position Research Fellow in the 14CHRONO Centre, Queen’s University Belfast 
   
PhD area Biocultural Analysis of Ballyhanna Medieval Human Remains
Name Dr Catriona McKenzie
Years of study 2006-2010
Country  
Current Position Lecturer in Osteoarchaeology, University of Exeter 
   
PhD area Taphonomic study of Neolithic human remains from Orkney
Name Dr Rebecca Crozier
Years of study 2006-2012
Country  
Current Position Lecturer in Osteoarchaeology, University of Aberdeen 

Discover More

  • Faculty of Engineering and Physical Science 
  • School of Natural and Built Environment
  • Centre for Community Archaeology
  • 14CHRONO Centre

Postgraduate research
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Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 3350

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Tel: +44 (0)28 9097 4006

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