Moira Irvine received a BA in Archaeology from UBC in 1962. Some time afterwards, she became Charles E. Borden's archaeological assistant until his retirement in the early 1970s. She was involved in, and at times oversaw, a range of excavations, including those at Milliken, Esilao, and Musqueam. She also served as curatorial assistant of the Laboratory of Archaeology, and was one of the founders of its faunal collection.