Institute for Field Research (IFR)

12/31/2025

Our 2025 in under 1 minute ✨

Thank you to our partners, students, and host communities for an incredible field season.

Here's to more learning and collaboration in 2026 🌎

10/22/2025

David Attenborough, we couldn't have said it any better. In this summer's documentary, he narrates what's at stake beneath the waves and for the future of humankind.

Lucky for us, IFR students in are already on it. Our research with MareTerra - Environmental Research and Conservation focuses on dophin ecology and bioacoustics, and our days in the field are spent monitoring the impact of tourist and fishing boat activity on dolphin behavior. Mapping these impacts helps us to develop better marine conservation policies and help protect fragile Mediterranean Sea ecosystems.

Join the fight to protect our seas ➡ Summer 2026 Dolphin Ecology & Marine Conservation field school enrolling now: https://ifrglobal.org/program/italy-sardinia-ecology/

03/18/2025

🚨 Scholarship deadline April 1 🚨

The George McJunkin Scholarship deadline is quickly approaching—don’t miss your chance to earn full funding for your IFR archaeological field school experience!

George McJunkin’s discovery of the Folsom Site changed archaeology forever, proving that Indigenous Peoples had been in North America thousands of years earlier than previously thought. Although he never received recognition in his lifetime, his impact on the field is to be celebrated.

This scholarship honors his legacy by supporting one student member of the Society of Black Archaeologists to attend any summer 2025 IFR field school.

Learn more and apply: https://forms.gle/BySAx22UWHKgxDPw8

09/04/2024

Wonderful opportunity for IFR alumni considering continuing on to graduate school

Are you thinking about applying to a graduate program in classics, archaeology, or a related field? On Thursday, September 5, at 7:30 pm ET, a panel of experts will share their insights and tips on navigating the application process and what to expect from the grad school experience. This event is sponsored by the First-Generation Low-Income Federation (FGLIF), an SCS affiliate group!

Register here: https://ow.ly/KIl050T8IcL

FGLIF supports people interested in studying the ancient Mediterranean world from first-generation and/or low-income backgrounds, including all underprivileged and underrepresented groups, from high school students to emeriti faculty.

08/23/2024

📢 Calling all 2024 IFR students! Share your favorite moments from your IFR field experience and win great cash prizes. We have four fun categories and $750 to give away, so get those submissions in by September 30 for a chance to win!

✅Cultural landscapes: Ancient ruins, awe-inspiring landmarks, the scenic beauty of the regions where our programs take place- we want to see it all!

✅Findings from the field: We’re talking fossils, artifacts, evidence of glacier change, share your shots of exciting findings from your research.

✅In Action: Share snaps that capture the essence of field school life, whether working hard or having fun!

✅Short Video: Create a short form video that encapsulates the action, adventure, or everyday of your field school experience.Think TikTok or Instagram Reel style!

Full contest details and submission instructions on our website at https://ifrglobal.org/news/ifr-student-photo-video-contest/

08/14/2024

"My favorite days were spent discovering material traces of enslaved people who had fled to freedom on the island – they lived in hidden maroon camps – and sites that still produce traces – but not treasure – from the days when pirates were privateering on this remote island."

Summer 2024 student reflects on what made her field school experience on with the Old Providence and Santa Catalina Islands Archaeological Project so unique and fulfilling in our latest student feature. Read Ari's full blog on our website!

https://ifrglobal.org/blog/discovery-and-justice-on-providence-island/

08/06/2024

It's a wrap for students in our Yangguanzhai Excavation Field School! Discover the wonders of ancient China through the eyes of our students as we recap their incredible field season in our latest blog post.

https://ifrglobal.org/news/saying-goodbye-to-xian/

📷 credit: Mirabella Zangrilli

07/26/2024

Summer session 2 students have landed in Ireland! This first week has been packed with field trips around the breathtaking Monastic Midlands to acquaint students with the archaeological, natural, and cultural landscapes of this fascinating region. They will take what they learn from this introductory week into their hands-on fieldwork, which includes excavation, archaeological survey, post-excavation techniques, landscape assessment, and more.

Needless to say, these students have an exciting few weeks ahead of them! Meet a few of our Monastic Midlands students and learn what they are most looking forward to during their field school.

07/17/2024

Thrilled to see one of IFR's 2024 Vera Campbell Scholarship recipients, Brizeida Alvarez Arana, highlighted by the Archaeological Institute of America as a 2024 Waldbaum Scholar. Join us in congratulating Brizeida and wishing her a wonderful field season exploring Ireland's Monastic Midlands with the Irish Heritage School!

The AIA is excited to introduce Brizeida Alvarez Arana as part of the 2024 cohort of Waldbaum scholars!

Brizeida is a graduating senior at UCLA, pursuing a degree in Anthropology and minoring in Spanish. She will attend her first field school with the Institute of Field Research in Ireland.

The field site of Monastic Midlands is a community-based research project that seeks to understand the area's cultural history. By studying the area's monuments and geological structures, this project aims to understand the cultural heritage of the people who inhabited the site.

Learn more here: https://ow.ly/eT3e50SBxTc

07/16/2024

🌟 Student spotlight 🌟 Tanichéé is an artist who grew up all over as a military brat, but now calls Los Angeles home. For over a decade she’s worked in the TV/Film industry in art departments doing a little bit of everything. She likes working as a prop master most but will occasionally do production design. Recently she went back to school to study and found a love for , more specifically bioarchaeology. Coming back to school after so long has been stressful, so in her free time she makes sure to do fun things like cooking, circus arts, and painting!

IFR is proud to have Tanichéé as a scholar this field season. We can't wait to see her experience in Romania with the The Brasov Bioarchaeology Project as she takes over our Instagram stories tomorrow!