jeudi 14 juillet 2016

PhD Candidate in Animal Behaviour

The research group of Prof. Leonida Fusani at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, has funding available for a three year PhD position in Animal Behaviour. The PhD candidate should develop his/her own project within the frame of a larger project aimed to understand how different components of avian courtship displays (vocalizations, movements and posture, morphological traits, etc.) contribute to signal male quality and shape female response. The project focuses on two species, the domestic collared doves Sterptopelia risoria and the tropical manakins Manacus spp. Therefore, the PhD candidate is expected to spend several months per year working in the field in Panama and/or Costa Rica. We are developing innovative methodologies using motion capture and telemetry to study courtship displays, and the candidate is expected to contribute to the development of these methods.
The position is based at the at the Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Vienna, Austria (http://www.klivv.at/). The working language of the Institute is English and we welcome scientists and students from any part of the world.
The candidate will be supervised by Prof. Leonida Fusani but will collaborate with other scientists in Vienna and abroad with specific expertise in the methodologies listed above. Fusani holds a dual appointment and is also member of the Department of Cognitive Biology of the University of Vienna (http://cogbio.univie.ac.at/). The PhD student will be able to interact with scientists and students and use facilities of both institutions.
Profile:
• MSc degree in Animal Behaviour, Zoology, or similar
• Proficient knowledge of English
• Excellent academic standing
• Experience with fieldwork
• Good computing skills
• Genuine interest in studying behaviour from an interdisciplinary perspective
Further desirable qualifications
• Publications in international, peer-reviewed journals
• Previous experience in studying animals in the field
• Previous work experience in tropical areas and in rainforests
• Previous experience in video and behavioural analysis
• Ability to work in a team is essential
Letters of application including CV, photograph, 2 letters of recommendation and a statement of research interests should be sent to bewerbungen@vetmeduni.ac.at until August 21st, 2016. Planned starting date is October-November, 2016. For further information about the project, please contact Leonida Fusani: leonida.fusani@vetmeduni.ac.at.
The University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna promotes the employment of woman in fields of work in which they are underrepresented and therefore encourages qualified women to apply to this opening.