The Historical Ecology & Coastal Archaeology (HECA) Lab at the University of Victoria is a multi-disciplinary group of students, postdoctoral scholars, and Indigenous collaborators supporting First Nations to pursue archaeological and ecological research topics in their territories. The mission of the lab is to mobilize archaeological information from Indigenous heritage sites to improve contemporary conservation, environmental management, and governance. We employ a variety of archaeological methods (e.g., geospatial, geochemical, osteometric) to reveal how generations of Indigenous peoples have shaped and cared for coastal environments in coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Coast.

With respect, we acknowledge the Indigenous Nations in whose territories we are fortunate to live and work in and recognize the privilege and responsibility that archaeology has in contributing towards greater understanding of Indigenous sovereignty, territories, and histories.

The lab is currently looking for future graduate students and post doctoral scholars (for Fall 2026). For potential inquiries, explore this blog, particularly what research current graduate students are engaged in and be in touch by email. In addition to making contact electronically, it helps if you can share a bit about your background in a specific document such as a CV, a writing sample, and to consider how your interests intersect with the kinds of research and analyses that the lab and its partners are engaged in. If you are unsure about the graduate school application process check out this publication (but ignore the section on the GRE) and to learn more about graduate student perspectives, check out this paper by graduate students over at SFU.

an older video about the Coastal Voices Project:

A more recent video from our work with the Coastal Voices project.