On: Intra- and
intergroup coordination
and movement in
meerkats (Suricata
suricatta) at the University of Zurich, Switzerland
A two-year (with potential to extend) postdoctoral position in spatial animal behaviour is
available at the University of Zurich working with Prof Marta Manser and her international
team. The research involves an investigation of within and between group behavioural
processes on spatial coordination, with fieldwork performed at the Kalahari Meerkat Project
in South Africa. Within this framework, several aspects of research can be pursued including:
coordination and decision making of within group individual movement; intergroup effects
on home range use and shift; ecological aspects, etc…. The tasks will consist of collecting
observational and experimental data in the field on meerkat group coordination, movement
and their ecology, as well as the analysis of long-term data. The postdoc will be responsible
for: (1) conducting the field research; (2) analyses of behavioural, movement and ecological
data; (3) involvement in supervision of our assistants, MSc and PhD students in the field in
South Africa and at the University in Zurich; and (4) helping to organise the field site in
South Africa and the captive group of meerkats in Zurich.
We welcome highly motivated applicants with PhDs in Ecology/Zoology or relevant fields.
Applicants must have a strong background in movement ecology, data analyses and ideally
modelling. People with experience in programming (i.e. MatLab, SAS, R, ….) are preferred.
The working language in the group is English, German skills are not essential. The position
is available from September 2015. Target application date is August 10th, 2015, but open
until a suitable candidate has been found.
Applicants should please send a cover letter with a brief statement of their research interests,
a C.V. (including publication list), and the names and affiliations of three referees.
Applications (preferably as a single pdf file) and informal inquiries should be sent to:
marta.manser@ieu.uzh.ch
Additional information on our group and research can be found at:
http://www.ieu.uzh.ch/research/behaviour/cognition.html; http://www.kalaharimeerkats.com/