Decoding the Past through Mathematics and Anthropology

Explore Research Opportunities

Research Opportunities

AMAAZE offers a range of opportunities for students and early-career researchers to join groundbreaking projects in mathematics, computer science, and anthropology. These experiences are designed to help you gain valuable research, teamwork, and analytical skills that can strengthen your graduate school applications, job prospects, or funding proposals. By contributing to meaningful projects, participants may co-author papers, present conference posters, or apply their work toward capstone or dissertation projects. Whether building an academic trajectory or gaining transferable skills for careers outside academia, AMAAZE equips researchers with the tools and experiences needed to thrive in a variety of professional settings.

By participating in AMAAZE-led projects, you will:

  • Contribute to meaningful, impactful work that may lead to published studies, conference posters, or even co-authored papers.

  • Gain hands-on experience that some students use for capstone projects or as part of your dissertation work.

  • Build a strong academic trajectory while also developing transferable skills (like communication, problem-solving, and project management) that are invaluable for non-academic career paths.

While AMAAZE-led projects are generally unpaid, they offer:

  • Hands-on learning in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research.

  • Personalized mentorship from experienced researchers.

  • Career-building opportunities to strengthen your future applications for funding, graduate programs, or professional roles.

Applications for AMAAZE-led projects can be submitted directly through our website. For opportunities with partner labs, we provide contact information or links to their application processes. While AMAAZE facilitates connections, partner labs independently manage their processes.

Take the next step in your research journey, build essential skills, and make meaningful contributions to multidisciplinary projects that matter.

AMAAZE-lab Opportunities

Explore current opportunities to participate in AMAAZE-led research projects. These unpaid roles are ideal for students and early-career researchers looking to grow their research skills, receive mentorship, and position themselves for future success.

Current Opportunities

At AMAAZE, we’re transforming the way we understand our ancestors and the environments they inhabited. Imagine uncovering stories locked in fragmented bones, stone tools, and pottery — stories that reveal the abundance of life at ancient sites, the processes that shaped them, and the very hands that used them. Our mission is to revolutionize archaeological and anthropological research through innovation. From automatic refitting techniques to 3D modeling and taphonomic simulations, we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

Whether you are into coding, a curation, or a hands-on anthropological research, we offer opportunities to help you dive into multidisciplinary collaborations that tackle mysteries of our past — and the tools you’ll learn are as valuable outside academia as they are within it.

Explore the opportunities below and discover your place in shaping the future of anthropological research.

  • Project Association: Geometric Analysis for Classification and Reassembly of Broken Bones

    • Description: Work with our team to develop cutting-edge, shape-oriented approaches for refitting fragmented materials. Though we are currently focusing on fragmented bone, we are working on methods that can be applied to other materials such as stone tools, and pottery. These techniques aim to streamline identification processes for collections, reducing manual labor while improving accuracy.

    • Ideal for: Students or collaborators with expertise in mathematics, computer science, and coding (e.g., Python, machine learning).

    • Key Roles:

      • Develop algorithms for semi-automated refitting and/or the identification of likely refits.

      • Collaborate on integrating 3D models into refitting workflows.

      • Test and refine methods using experimental breakage collections.

  • Project Association: Geometric Analysis for Classification and Reassembly of Broken Bones

    • Description: Assist in scanning and refitting 3D models from experimental breakage collections to refine site analyses. This work can uncover vital insights into taxa abundance, time resolutions, and site use patterns.

    • Ideal for: Students or citizen scientists interested in gaining hands-on experience with 3D modeling, scanning, and refitting techniques.

    • Key Roles:

      • Scan and document experimental breakage samples.

      • Perform “manual” refitting of 3D models of bone fragments and contribute to developing potential refit patterns.

  • Project Association: Digitization of Manual Methods in Lithic and Zooarchaeological Analysis

    • Description: Take part in the critical task of organizing and managing 3D model datasets to ensure accessibility and reproducibility. This opportunity is ideal for individuals interested in developing skills in digital curation while contributing to cutting-edge research.

    • Key Roles:

      • Organize and maintain a growing collection of 3D models.

      • Implement best practices for metadata and file management.

      • Ensure datasets are properly curated for long-term usability and open access.

    • Ideal for: Students interested in digital curation, data organization, or supporting collaborative research.

  • Project Association: Digitization of Manual Methods in Lithic and Zooarchaeological Analysis

    • Description: Contribute to the development of computational tools for understanding breakage agents and modeling taphonomic processes like erosion and edge rounding. This work will improve our ability to interpret archaeological and zooarchaeological datasets.

    • Ideal for: Students or collaborators with expertise in mathematics, computer science, and coding (e.g., Python, machine learning).

    • Key Roles:

      • Develop and test coding solutions for identifying agents of breakage.

      • Model processes such as edge rounding via erosion and their impact on artifact identification.

      • Work closely with interdisciplinary teams to validate and refine models.

Apply for an AMAAZE-lab Opportunities

To apply, please submit your resume or CV along with a one-page cover letter identifying the project(s) you are interested in and sharing why you would like to join our research team.

Partner Lab Research Opportunities

When there are opportunities provided by partner labs, they will be listed here. You can explore these opportunities and contact the lab directly should you wish to apply.