The Antwerp Zoo Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC) is seeking to employ
a Postdoctoral Researcher in Animal Welfare Science
The Postdoctoral Researcher
in Animal Welfare Science will be involved in applied and fundamental zoo-research
and related activities of the Antwerp Zoo
Centre for Research and Conservation (CRC). The CRC is the government-funded
research institute of the Royal
Zoological Society of Antwerp (RZSA), which is active within the society’s
grounds (Antwerp Zoo, Planckendael Animal Park, and the nature reserve “De
Zegge”), in its own field-based conservation projects in Cameroon, DR-Congo and
Brazil, and as a partner in collaborative research projects with zoological
gardens and academic institutions worldwide.
The successful candidate is expected
to develop and perform multidisciplinary and multi-institutional research projects
focused on applied zoo animal behaviour and animal welfare science. As such
he/she will be responsible for taking a scientific approach to better
understand, assess and monitor zoo animal welfare, and to use this knowledge
for improving zoo animal well-being and informing evidence-based animal management
and husbandry in close collaboration with the zoo-vet and animal management.
Additional tasks include:
·
Disseminating
research outcomes in peer reviewed journals and at scientific and professional
conferences and workshops;
·
Actively
applying for research funding;
·
Undergraduate
teaching, student supervision, and (co)developing and supervising PhD student
projects;
·
Providing
occasional training to animal care staff, and promoting appropriate and
beneficial keeper−animal relationships;
·
Supporting
and participating in public outreach and education activities of the RZSA.
The
successful candidate should have:
·
A
relevant Ph.D. or DVM degree with demonstrable interest and experience in applied
zoo-research in the fields of applied animal behaviour and animal welfare
science;
·
An
up-to-date knowledge of recent advances in animal welfare science and its
applications;
·
Expertise
regarding research design, data collection and statistical analyses, with three
to five years of (applied) research experience, preferably in a zoo setting;
·
Demonstrable
experience with applying for research funding;
·
The
ability to communicate with fellow scientists, and experience with the
publication of research results in peer reviewed journals;
·
A
good working knowledge of English and preferably a basic knowledge of Dutch and
French (or the willingness and commitment to learn within a time period to be
agreed);
·
A
talent to mentor interns, students, research assistants, and to be an enthusiastic
teacher and educator;
·
The
ability to work independently though in close collaboration with fellow
researchers both within the CRC and externally;
·
An
interest in and enthusiasm for popular science writing, as well as to present
research results to a non-science audience.
The successful candidate
will have a full-time fixed-term RZSA contract for one year initially, with the
possibility of an extension.
Review of applications will begin on 15 October 2017 and will continue until the position is filled. Candidates should apply by sending a full CV, a publication list and a cover letter, explaining why they are interested in this position, what particular skills they will bring, and why they are interested in zoo-related research.
Please send your
application (preferably by email) to:
Tim De Backer
Human Resources
Royal Zoological Society of
Antwerp
Koningin
Astridplein 26
2018
Antwerp, Belgium
For more detailed
information about this job please contact Zjef
Pereboom by e-mail (zjef.pereboom@kmda.org) or by telephone (+32(0)3
202 4580).
Visit www.zooresearch.be for more information about the CRC’s
activities.