We have several PhD positions available in the Griffith Ecology lab at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
Please see details below, and at
https://griffithecology.com
4 PhD positions in Behavioural and Physiological Ecology
at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
We are pleased to announce multiple opportunities available for a start from mid to late 2017
1:
Adapting to a foreign climate: the reproductive ecology of the house sparrow in Australia
The house sparrow (Passer domesticus)
was introduced into Australia in the 1860’s and has since become well
established across a broad range of climates in both countries. This
project will
take advantage of this ‘experimental’ introduction to focus on
behavioural and physiological adaptations to different climates through a
field-based comparative approach. This research will complement our
existing work on related questions in endemic Australian
species and will provide insight into the capacity of avian species to
adapt to changing climates. This project will involve periods of
field-work in Broken Hill, Armidale and Hobart in Australia, along with a
range of behavioural, molecular and physiological
assays. The project will involve collaboration with other groups in
Australia and the US.
2:
The challenge of growing in a hot climate (in the zebra finch)
In
recent years we have characterised the very hot conditions in which
zebra finches are raised (with nests often reaching temperatures over 40
degrees Celsius, as well as identifying adverse effects
of these conditions on embryonic development, offspring growth, and
adult sperm. This project is supported by an ARC funded project and will
investigate the adaptations that this iconic and well-studied species
has to deal with the extreme climate in which
it lives. The project will take a variety of approaches including
behavioural work, and assays of metabolism and physiology, and combine
fieldwork and laboratory work. The project will be run in collaboration
with Dr Christine Cooper (Curtin University, Western
Australia), Prof. Pierre Deviche (Arizona State University, US), and
Prof. Pat Monaghan (Glasgow, UK).
3: Social structuring and life-history in free-ranging domestic sheep
In
this project we will examine the importance of social structure and
collective intelligence to life-history trade-offs and productivity in
domestic sheep in the rangelands of Australia. The
project will use tools from social network theory and spatial ecology
to characterise individual and group behaviour and investigate their
effect on individual quality and productivity (lambs and wool) in this
challenging, but economically important part of
Australia. The project will be based at Fowlers Gap (near Broken Hill
in the arid zone) and require field work and well-developed analytical
skills. This work will be run in collaboration with partners in the
pastoral industry and be jointly supervised by
Dr Stephan Leu (also at Macquarie University).
4: Parasite transmission dynamics in an Australian lizard
This
project will investigate the relationship between host spatial and
social behaviour and bacterial transmission. It combines social network
theory, spatial ecology and wildlife epidemiology
to determine how different bacterial strains are transmitted through
the population and how individual behaviour and consequently population
social structure changes as a function of infection status. The project
combines the analysis of a very comprehensive
(already collected) dataset with scope for the student to develop
his/her own ideas and conduct fieldwork. The student should be
interested in social networks and disease modelling and have strong
analytical skills. This project will be jointly supervised
by Dr Stephan Leu and A/Prof Martin Whiting (both at Macquarie
University). We also have strong relationships with disease modelling
colleagues in the US.
Application
The
Department of Biological Sciences at Macquarie University is a vibrant
environment which offers excellent support to postgraduate students. A
Macquarie University Excellence
in Research Scholarship has already been assigned to one of these
projects, but there are other scholarship opportunities available to
suitably competitive candidates. International candidates are welcome to
apply for any of the projects listed above.
The
2014 MQRES full-time stipend rate is $26,682 pa tax exempt for 3 years
(indexed annually). In addition to external grant support for projects,
there is additional internal
funding (up to $17,000) available to cover direct research expenses and
conference travel.
Applicants
should ideally have a research-based MSc in a related discipline (with a
minimum 50% research component), and additional relevant research
experience, qualifications,
and details of awards or prizes. For projects 1, 2, and 4 an ability to
work in remote and harsh conditions as well as experience in capturing
and handling animals is desirable. A driving licence is required for all
projects.
Applications
should include 1) your CV, 2) a brief statement of your reasons for
applying (max. 500 words) and the project you are applying to work on,
3) contact details of
two academic referees, 4) your nationality (for scholarship eligibility
purposes). Applications should be submitted electronically as a single
PDF file.
Applications for these positions (and any initial enquiries) should be emailed by 7th April 2017 to:
simon.griffith@mq.edu.au
Prof. Simon Griffith, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia