1 position as station manager at the striped mouse project in South Africa,
starting September 2017 for 1.5 - 3 years
We are looking for an
extremely motivated and independent biology student with a master’s
degree to join the striped mouse project in August/September 2017 at
least until November 2018 and for a maximum of 3 years as station
manager. Somebody who would like to gain experience in field work and
scientific management. Managers get free accommodation at the station
and a compensation of R4500/month to cover their daily costs. Travel
costs can be refunded by up to an additional R 12 000 / year. As such,
the position compensates for all arising costs but does not represent a
legal employment.
The
station manager will work closely together with the research manager
and both managers will share responsibilities. Each will have specific
main duties, but should also be able to deal with all other duties (for
example when the other manager is on leave, or when a new manager has to
be trained).
We
have an acting research manager while our present station manager will
leave the project in November 2017 after 3 years. The new station
manager will be instructed by the present station manager and both will
overlap for 3 months.
Great opportunity: This
is a great opportunity to spend 1-3 years in Africa, acquiring
important skills in field biology and project management, while
improving your CV. These skills will become valuable whether you later
continue with a PhD or other jobs. It will be very hard and demanding,
but also a once in a life time experience!
You must be
hard-working, highly motivated, able to work independently, good in
communicating with people, able to supervise others, and not afraid of
snakes. You should love to live at a remote place in nature, without
regular internet and cell-phone reception. Most importantly, you are
fascinated by nature and science! The station manager must also have
technical skills (respirometry laboratory) and be able to do some
maintenance work at the research station (handy man skills).
Shared duties
We want to know at all time all striped mice present at the field site and their social tactic!
· Trapping
· Observing
· Radio-tracking, putting radio-collars on
· Blood sampling
· Collect
data for specific research projects (to be determined. Examples would
be collecting urine samples, data on basking, cognitive testing …)
Primary duties station manager / secondary duties research manager
· Technical support research station:
o Water system incl. sewage system
o Solar system
o Gas bottles replacement
o House and furniture
o Running of the respirometry laboratory
o Management of the captive colony
o Management of the research station car
o Management of bank account and cash box
o Management of research station supplies
Primary duties research manager / secondary duties station manager
· Data:
o Weekly data entry
o Weekly data check
o Monthly data backup
o Monthly data report
o Training and supervision of field assistants
o Training of students and postdocs
o Support for students and postdocs
o Management of transmitters
o Management of field and laboratory supplies
Job description: Five
working days a week (Mo, Tue, Thu, Fr, Sat), with Wednesday being used
for a shopping trip to town (not counted as working day) and Sundays
being free. Included are four weeks of holiday for 12 months, which has
to be taken outside the main breeding season (August to November) during
periods when other students are present at the research station.
Compensation:
· Free accommodation.
- A monthly compensation of R 4 500, which is sufficient to pay all costs of living (approx. 3500/month).
- For travel costs, R12 000 per year can be refunded, but proof (receipts) must be presented for this. This refund is only payable after 12 months.
- You can become a honorary researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand in the group of Prof. N. Pillay.
- Scientific co-authorship will be possible if the manager contributes to the success of projects by not only collecting the majority of data, but also by data analysis and writing of the manuscript.
Responsibilities:
· The
manager has to cover the costs to get to the station, including travel
costs and visa fees. For this, a refund can be paid (see above).
- The manager needs to arrange for a health insurance covering him / her during the stay. A copy must be sent to C. Schradin before travelling to the stations.
Place and project: Succulent
Karoo Research Station in the Goegap Nature Reserve near Springbok in
the Northern Cape of South Africa. The research projects are on the
socio-ecology of small mammals, studying ecological and physiological
reasons of social behaviour, behavioural flexibility, and physiological
adaptation.
How to apply? Please send a CV, a letter of motivation and the names and contact information of two or more scientists available for reference. The letter of motivation should state why you think you are the perfect candidate for this, and when you could start.
Application deadline: There is no deadline, but applications will be reviewed until a suitable candidate is found. For full consideration, send your application before the 1st of June 2017. After that you might first enquire via email whether the position is still open or not.
Further information under www.stripedmouse.com
Dr.
Carsten Schradin, Director of the Succulent Karoo Research Station, a
registered South African non-profit organization supporting research in
organismic biology.