Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology,
Leipzig
Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics,
University of Amsterdam
The
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology unites scientists with
various backgrounds (natural sciences and humanities) whose aim is to
investigate the history of humankind from an interdisciplinary perspective with
the help of comparative analyses of genes, cultures, cognitive abilities,
languages and social systems of past and present human populations as well as
those of primates closely related to human beings.
We
are seeking a PhD candidate who is interested in studying the evolution of
language by quantifying the costs and benefits of, and conditions for, sharing
information about food locations in a community of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and human foragers
(Mbendjele Yaka) in a tropical rain forest. The candidate will be directly supervised
by postdoctoral researcher Dr. Karline Janmaat and Prof. Dr. Christophe Boesch,
who have collected behavioural and ecological data in both communities. The
project aims to gain insight in how information transfer can increase foraging
efficiency in a tropical forest, by comparing food patch size, group
composition and travel behaviour between food patches in human and chimpanzee
foragers that both live in a fission-fusion society and feed on the same food
species (e.g. Panda nuts). The candidate will make use of existing data on
chimpanzees and newly collected data on Mbendjele foragers. The project further aims to quantify information
transfer opportunities by measuring the extent of the ranging area of one community
of Mbendjele foragers, inter-individual overlap in ranging routes and encounter
rates, by use of remote Global Positioning Systems (GPS), wrist accelerometers
and handheld cameras. To gain further insight in the evolution of language, the
project aims to quantify and describe how and with whom Mbendjele women share
and do not share information on food source locations by use of language or
behavioural guidance.
The
field work will consist of collecting behavioural data on Mbendjele mother-daughter
pairs, learning the language, overhearing conversations and conducting
observational data collection on individual women when they enter the forest on
their daily foraging trips using GPS and audio-recording devices. In addition,
transects will be walked to measure food availability and phenology of
important food sources, such as caterpillar trees. Data analyses will consist
of state of the art statistical modelling techniques. The scope of the project
is interdisciplinary, including the use of bio-logging technologies and spatial
analyses, and the testing of game-theory models on information sharing, in
collaboration with Dr. Judy Shamoun-Baranes and Dr. Martijn Egas at the
Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, the University of Amsterdam.
During
the data collection period the successful applicant will be living in a camp
together with a Mbendjele family, for a minimum of two periods of 6 months in
the Republic of Congo, Brazzaville. Data analyses will take place at the
department of Primatology of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary
Anthropology, in Leipzig, as well as the Institute of Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Dynamics at the University of Amsterdam.
QUALIFICATIONS
Essential
requirements are: (1) having a Master’s degree in Biology, Anthropology or
Psychology, (2) being experienced in behavioural data collection (e.g. focal
sampling) and analyses, (3) proficient in French or Lingala and quick at
learning languages, (4) highly sociable and having no problems with a lack of
privacy for weeks at a time, (5) having
field experience in a tropical or remote area (e.g. being able to live without
running water, limited electricity and internet), (6) above average physical
fitness, and (7) above average resistance to social/psychological stress. People
who also have (8) practical and technical skills required to navigate in remote
areas, (9) experience in handling GPS or GIS data, and (10) experience in
collecting phenological data will be considered stronger applicants. Candidates
must be able to work independently and as part of a team, must have a high
degree of flexibility, and tolerance to local customs and practices. Due to the
nature of the work (the study subjects are Mbendjele women) we especially
encourage female students to apply.
SALARY:
1,300 Euro/month for a period of 1 year. Additional funding needs to be applied
for in collaboration with Dr. Karline Janmaat, who has experience with
obtaining PhD grant money.
TERM
OF APPOINTMENT: February 2017 – February 2018, with potential extension of 4
years. Deadline application: 20th of December 2016.
TERM
OF REFERENCE: Within one year you are required to write and submit a research
proposal to obtain four/five years of funding for your own PhD project on the
topic of Information Transfer (as described above). In addition, you need to
help with the analyses of existing data on Mbendjele and chimpanzee foraging
behaviour and are expected to publish the results in a scientific paper, (that
can be included in your PhD thesis). Lastly, you have the opportunity to
conduct a three months pilot study with the Mbendjele people in Congo (all
travel expenses will be covered).
Interested
applicants should send their CV along with details for at least two references
via email to Dr. Karline Janmaat (karline_janmaat@[>>> Please remove
the text! <<<]eva.mpg.de).
The
Max Planck Society is committed to equal opportunities and to employing
individuals with disabilities and explicitly encourages them to apply. We look
forward to receiving your completed application.