College of Sciences Doctoral Student Combines Archaeology, Geospatial Science, and Artificial Intelligence at Harvard University’s Spatial Data Lab 

Bryce Peacher incorporates the use of AI into recreating history through fellowship. 

By Emily Dougherty | April 15, 2025 

Bryce Peacher, second-year doctoral student studying Integrative Anthropological Sciences, is currently in a fellowship with Harvard University’s Spatial Data Lab. His unique research engages Geospatial Artificial Intelligence to look at ancient landscapes.  

Peacher’s advisor, Associate Professor of Anthropology Scott Branting, Ph.D., says that this is an example of interdisciplinary research that brings social sciences and humanities together with engineering and technology. 

“This is one of the many unique examples of innovation at UCF—using technology and AI to better understand our world,” says Branting. “We are incredibly proud of Bryce. He applied for an open call and was awarded status as a fellow at Harvard University through their Spatial Data Lab.”  

Peacher shares his gratitude for this opportunity to collaborate alongside fellow researchers who are creating change in the field.  

“Working with Harvard means a lot to me—both personally and professionally. It’s an amazing opportunity to grow as a researcher and to work alongside people who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with mapping, data, and technology,” he says. 

“My passion for Geographic Information Systems (GIS) began when I realized the power of maps—not just for showing where things are, but for understanding how people lived, moved, and shaped their world,” Peacher says. “Working for Esri—the global leader in GIS and the company behind the ArcGIS platform—and being part of the GIS community has only deepened that passion. The ability to bring together data, storytelling, and spatial thinking is what makes the field so exciting to me.” 

This unique form of storytelling, Peacher says, requires alternative techniques to generate more timely and informative results.  

“My research focuses on training large language models (LLMs) to analyze ancient landscapes using archaeological datasets. Traditionally, archaeologists use GIS and remote sensing to understand how past societies interacted with their environments.” Peacher says. “The challenge is that these techniques require a lot of data, specialized software, time, and technical skills. That’s where artificial intelligence comes in—by helping speed up the process and making these tools more accessible to researchers who aren’t experts in mapping or coding. The hope is for AI to act almost like a research assistant—speeding up tasks, identifying spatial patterns, and helping document findings.”  

Peacher explains that AI is an important tool when incorporated into interdisciplinary research, because of how efficiently it can examine large amounts of data across different topics. 

“AI is fast becoming a collaborator in the research process. At its core, AI excels at identifying patterns, analyzing large datasets, and automating repetitive or complex tasks—capabilities that are incredibly valuable across all disciplines,” he says. “One of my interests is in democratizing spatial analysis, making it accessible and equitable to as many people as possible. I believe AI has that potential.” 

Along with the use of AI in his research, he explains that interdisciplinary collaboration plays a large role in creating stronger research and experience.   

“We often think of research as something that happens in isolation, but one of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned is that innovation thrives in collaboration, especially across disciplines. Working at the intersection of archaeology, geospatial science, and artificial intelligence has shown me how much we can achieve when we step outside our academic comfort zones,” Peacher says. 

For Knights who are looking to incorporate AI into their research, Peacher shares his advice. 

“We’re moving into a world of low-code and no-code AI solutions, so you no longer need to be a computer science expert to integrate AI into your research. My advice to fellow Knights is to start by identifying a challenge in your research that takes up a lot of time or feels repetitive—sorting data, summarizing literature, or identifying patterns—and explore how AI can help you with those tasks. Just remember that AI is a tool; your ideas, questions, and creativity are what drive great research.”