Student and Early Careers Conference 2024

Following the success of our 2021, 2022 and 2023 conferences, the CIfA Early Careers Special Interest Group and the Council for British Archaeology hosted the fourth digital Early Careers Conference during the Festival of Archaeology 2024.

Every year, this digital conference aims to platform students, early career archaeologists and heritage professionals, and to give them the opportunity to gain presentation experience.

Who is it for?

SPEAKERS: The conference speakers are those studying archaeology or an associated subject such as osteoarchaeology, anthropology, or cultural heritage management, undertaking an apprenticeship or training scheme, or in early career employment in archaeology (contributors should be less than 36 months into their archaeology career).

AUDIENCE: We always hope the conference audience will comprise anyone who has an interest in the range of topics that will be discussed and/or those who wish to support early career archaeologists and heritage professionals in a welcoming and friendly environment. 

Was there a conference theme?

There was no set theme. Instead, participants were encouraged to present on any topic of their choice. We were able to identify several strong themes emerging from the abstracts:

Session 1: Early Careers in Archaeology and Heritage 

Session 2: Gender and Identity in the Archaeological Record     

Session 3: Contemporary Challenges and Opportunities

Session 4: Style and Motifs as Expressions of Identity and Place       

Each session was a mix of ten-minute live and pre-recorded talks with a Q&A at the end.

You can download the Early Careers Conference Abstract Booklet.

Can I watch the talks from the conference?

The conference talks were recorded and, where permission was granted, are now being edited and uploaded to the CBA's YouTube channel. 

You can find this year's recordings on the Early Careers Conference 2024 playlist and further examples below.