We have two master/internship research
positions available with the laboratoire de Cognition Comparée,
Université de Neuchâtel. These positions would suit undergraduate
students looking for a master project and/or to further their research
experience.
Interested applicants can email me at
eloise.deaux@unine.ch, with a CV and a
short personal statement indicating the project of interest and their suitability for that project (1-page max).
Start dates are flexible and positions will remain open until filled.
Start dates are flexible and positions will remain open until filled.
Project 1. Social transmission mechanisms of a new behaviour within a captive group of gorillas
This
project has two primary aims. The first is to train a group of captive
gorillas to use touch screens installed in their enclosure. The second
is to assess whether and how individual acquisition
patterns are influenced by social learning mechanisms. To test this, we
will collect focal data on individuals’ interaction with the touch
screens, observation patterns of ‘demonstrators’ by naive individuals
and affiliation patterns.
We
will then use social network analysis to investigate whether the pattern
of acquisition of the new behaviour correlates with their affiliation
network. We will also test if the rate of
acquisition is better explained by the frequence of observation or by
the characteristics of the models.
This
project will be based at Basel zoo (Basel, Switzerland) and is expected
to last 6 months. A bachelor’s degree in biologie, cognitive science or
animal behaviour, is required. No research
experience needed. Knowledge of German is desirable.
I do not have funds to cover food/lodging expenses, but can help draft grant applications for interested applicants.
Project 2: Pant grunts acoustic characteristics in relation to varying social contexts
This is a desktop computer-based project only.
In
2016, we recorded pant grunt vocalisations from females as well as data
on contexts of production, recipient characteristics and female status
(with or without young infants). We are interested
in investigating whether the acoustic characteristics of these calls
are modulated as a function of the social environment of the calling
individual.
This
project would thus involve extracting vocalisations and focal data from
field recordings and log books, and then perform acoustic and
statistical analyses using R and the seewave package.
Applicant will be trained in all of these techniques, such that no prior experience is needed.
This project is expected to take 3-4 months.
Eloïse Déaux
Postdoctoral fellow
Department of Comparative Cognition
University of Neuchâtel
Rue Emile Argand 11
2000 Neuchâtel
Switzerland