Nomad Science Mongolia

Location: Ulaan-Uul, Mongolia

Season: June 24, 2026 to September 10, 2026

Session Dates: Session 1: June 24 - July 15; Session 2: July 18 - August 8; Session 3: August 10-19; Session 4: August 20 - September 10

Application Deadline: April 1, 2026

Deadline Type: Rolling

Website: https://www.nomadsciencemongolia.com/

Program Type:
Field School

RPA Certified:
No

Affiliation:
Nomad Science Mongolia, Inc.

Project Director:
Dr. Julia Clark (Nomad Science Mongolia), and Dr. J. Bayarsaikhan (MAS Institute of Archaeology)

Project Description:

Applications for the 2026 field season are now open! If you are interested in preserving Mongolia’s cultural and natural heritage through research and public outreach, NOMAD Science assembles an annual international, interdisciplinary team to conduct fieldwork in northern Mongolia. This is a physically and mentally challenging opportunity with the promise of great adventure for the right type of person!

While many of our participants are working towards an archaeology degree, team members come from a variety of disciplines, educational backgrounds, generations, and nationalities. All of our programs feature cross-cultural collaboration, with approximately half of the team members being Mongolian and the other half from outside Mongolia. Whether this is a requirement for your bachelors/masters/PhD program, or you are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience just for fun, check out our program choices below. No previous experience necessary for most of our programs.

If you find external funding that you’d like to apply for (it’s never too early!), and we can support you in any way (letters of support, brainstorming project ideas, looking over proposals, etc.) please contact us. The program fee covers all costs for the duration of the project for food, transportation, permits, and equipment. This does not include international travel to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, travel insurance, or personal camping gear.

As always, NOMAD Science is grateful for the partnership of the Institute of Archaeology, co-director Dr. J. Bayarsaikhanm and many other collaborators and colleagues for all of the programs listed below.

Session I: Salvage Archaeology and Field Conservation

Description: Building on the last 6 years of salvage work by NOMAD Science, this 3 week program is designed to identify and salvage threatened material related to illegal looting activity in northern Mongolia. Thieves have targeted nearly every known cemetery in the region, hauling away untold treasures and destroying much of Mongolia’s priceless cultural heritage. Our teams travel to these disturbed cemeteries and recover what we can – which has historically actually turned out to be quite a bit! Despite the missing components and jumbled contexts, archaeologists can still learn a lot about ancient peoples from what remains. However, without our intervention, much of what remains will decay, be destroyed, lost, or looted again. This program is designed for participants interested in cultural heritage preservation, field conservation, salvage archaeology, and bioarchaeology. Participants will be stationed at a base camp and travel to various nearby cemeteries on a daily basis. Sites will be accessible by car or after a short hike, with some even located within small towns

More Info Coming Soon

Dates: June 24 – July 15, 2026

Fee: $3,950 USD

Session II: Shar Uul

Description: Throughout this challenging but rewarding course, participants will travel by horseback and on foot to remote regions of Mongolia’s taiga and tundra to investigate known archaeological sites, and to discover and map new sites. Preliminary work in the 2019-2025 field seasons has resulted in the discovery of several archaeological sites with great scientific promise in the mountains of northern Mongolia. The team will return to these sites to collect and map these finds, will build predictive models to help locate new sites, will work with National Park Rangers to help interpret and share their findings, and will follow tips to locate important resources used by the region’s ancient people. This program is designed for fit, adventurous participants who are up for a physical and mental challenge, willing to work as a team, and who’s curiosity always leads them over the next ridge.

More Info Coming Soon

Dates: July 18-August 8, 2026

Fee: $4,250 USD

Session III: Lab Internship

Description: During this lab internship, you will work with project staff to catalog, sort, analyze, and select samples from the NOMAD Science collections. Artifacts studied will primarily be lithics, ceramics, and faunal material with a positibility of some metal, wood, and textile objects as well. Additional supervised experience in GIS data collection, management, and ouput production will also be available. Interns will work in the laboratory in Ulaanbaatar for the duration of this project. Participants are responsible for their own lodging and food in Ulaanbaatar for the duration of this project (all other sessions are camping with all food provided). This session is a convenient add on for Sessions II or IV or as a standalone course. This is a fantastic opportunity for participants interested in getting hands on laboratory experience, or those wishing to extend their stay in Mongolia.

More Info Coming Soon

Dates: August 10 – 19, 2026

Fee: $400 USD

Session IV: West Taiga Exploration

Description: Building on an 8 year collaboration with the Dukha, Mongolia’s reindeer herdering people, we will be travelling on horseback to a previously unsurveyed new region to conduct a pilot survey to inventory the region and determine if it is a suitable site for future project sites. Similar regions have produced several new lithic scatters and historic campsites suitable for ethnoarchaeological investigation, but as the region is completely new to us, we don’t know what we’ll encounter! This work will result in an inventory of the area that will help local communities and park rangers to manage these archaeological resources. Applicants should be physically fit and able to ride and hike several hours a day. This session is perfect for the adventurous sould who wants to explore the unexplored!

More Info Coming Soon

Dates: August 20 – September 10, 2026

Fee: $4,250

Period(s) of Occupation: Neolithic - Medieval (Varies by session)

Project Size: 1-24 participants

Minimum Length of Stay for Volunteers: 3 weeks

Minimum Age: 18

Experience Required: No experience required

Room and Board Arrangements:
Camping - participant responsible for tent, sleeping pag, sleeping bag, light, and water filter Cooking - all dishes, food, food prep equipment provided by the project

Academic Credit:
Available through the University of Montana Western or by independent study at the participants home institution