mercredi 28 mars 2018

PhD Studentship - Revealing how climate fluctuations affect birds' community dynamics: A multispecies demography approach

Nous proposons une thèse (financée) pour étudier l'effet des fluctuations climatiques sur des communautés d'oiseaux via une approche de démographie multi-espèce. Tous les détails sont disponibles sur https://mycore.core-cloud.net/index.php/s/UmITEAmbVxOYvC3.

Graduate Position QMUL: Differences in cognition and behaviour in male/female chicks (Gallus gallus)

a PhD position is available at the Evolution and Comparative Cognition laboratory at Queen Mary University of London (supervisor Dr Elisabetta Versace) to investigate the spontaneous behaviour and learning strategies of male and female chicks (Gallus gallus). Here is the link to the project: http://www.sbcs.qmul.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/projects/display-title-527650-en.html
The project can be tailored on the interests and skills of the successful candidate, so we expect to receive applications from students of different backgrounds (e.g. biology, psychology, computer science). Informal inquiries welcome! e.versace@qmul.ac.ukThank you for circulating this information.

Appel à candidature (thèse à partir d’octobre 2018)

Contrôle d’altitude chez le bourdon :
les invariants optiques
Naviguer dans un environnement inconnu est une tâche aujourd’hui impossible à réaliser par un micro aéronef de quelques grammes, mais qui est réalisée tous les jours avec aisance par les insectes volants. Il existe donc des principes performants, basés en particulier sur des traitements adéquats de l’information visuelle, qui permettent aux insectes volants de réaliser des tâches de navigation spatiale avec précision. C'est précisément ces principes, encore peu connus, que nous voulons explorer, comprendre, modéliser, et simuler.
Le dispositif expérimental ci-dessous permet de tester différentes hypothèses en relation avec le contrôle d’altitude chez les insectes volants. Il se présente sous la forme d’un tunnel dans lequel on entraînera des bourdons à le traverser en fonction de différentes configurations optiques. Il conviendra ensuite de manipuler différents indices visuels (flux optique, lignes de perspective…) pour étudier les réactions du bourdon, on cherchera ensuite à mettre en évidence leur caractère invariant de certains d’entre eux au cours de vol.
Type du contrat : contrat doctoral
Durée du contrat : 3 ans à partir du 1er octobre 2018
Salaire : 1460 € net /mois
(Auquel des missions telles que l’enseignement, la vulgarisation scientifique… peuvent s’ajouter
Techniques utilisées
  • Paradigme expérimental : tunnel de vol tapissé de contrastes, attraction de bourdons, manipulations optiques, décorrélation d’indices visuels.
  • Caméras + reconstitution de trajectoires des bourdons,
  • Marquage des boudons, élevage en ruche.
Compétences requises
  • Étudiant(e) intéressé(e) par l’éthologie, l’entomologie, les apidés, et les neurosciences.
  • Statistiques (descriptive, inférentielle, ANOVA…). L’utilisation du logiciel R/Rstudio serait un plus.
  • Des compétences en informatique/programmation. L’utilisation du logiciel Matlab serait un plus.
Merci d’envoyer un CV et une lettre de motivation à :
Julien SERRES® julien.serres@univ-amu.fr
Equipe Biorobotique, www.biorobotique.fr, Marseille.
Institut des Sciences du Mouvement,
www.ism.univ-amu.fr, CNRS/Aix-Marseille Université.

mercredi 21 mars 2018

PhD ou Post doc

Laboratory: Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive
Head of the laboratory: Johannes Ziegler   johannes.ziegler@univ-amu.fr
Team name: Cognition comparée
Team leader(s): Joel Fagot
First name and last name of the proposed PhD or Post-Doc supervisor(s):
Florence Gaunet (co-supervisor)
Anne-Lise Giraud (co-supervisor). Imera position from Feb to June 2019 (LPC and LPL).
The student will be 100% based in L.P.C./Marseille.
Collaboration with T. Legou/L.P.L. Research conducted in the Labex ILCB framework (Institute of Language, Communication and the Brain).
Title of the proposed PhD or 2-year Post-doc research project:
Contour, rhythm or content? What does dogs brain grasp from human speech?
For the application, PLEASE CONTACT F Gaunet florence.gaunet@univ-amu.fr and AL Giraud annelise.mamessier.giraud@gmail.com

Summary of the proposed research project
o  State of the art: Dogs have so closely coevolved with humans that they are able to make use of short word sequences to execute simple orders (e.g. “Titus, bring the ball”) (Kaminski et al., 2004). The dog speech perception capacity is particularly interesting to explore from a language evolution viewpoint because, while dogs cannot speak (Riede & Fitch, 1999), they show a strong motivation to communicate with us (Gaunet & El Massioui 2014). In humans, understanding connected speech requires segmentation of the acoustic flow. This capital pre-processing step involves slow neural oscillations, which naturally occur in the auditory cortex at a rate close to the average human syllabic rate (4-7Hz) (Giraud and Poeppel 2012). Since the syllabic structure is constrained by the motor system, its contribution to the speech perception is intensely debated (Park et al. 2015).
o  Objectives: This project proposes to explore the neural bases (including laterality) of dog speech processing to address the contribution of the motor system to speech perception. We expect to determine whether dogs perceive speech on the basis of acoustic cues they can themselves produce, i.e. short “syllable-like” intonated sounds, or whether alternatively, they can be sensitive to cues that they cannot produce at all, phoneme-level cues.
o   Methods:
Project 1: acoustic analysis. We will first record single and polysyllabic animal vocalizations. Polysyllabic vocalizations can be obtained in dogs by mimetism with human speech (Gaunet & Legou In prep; Legou & Gaunet In prep). We will use these recordings to perform a comparative acoustic analysis of dog and man vocalizations. We will compute modulation power spectrum (MPS) as in (Arnal et al. 2015), for both types of signal and will determine the overlap of dog and man modulation acoustic landscape. This analysis will serve to interpret the neural responses and to determine how much of the human communication MPS area is also used by dogs. A preliminary study analyzing dogs’ vocal productions, using internet videos posted by dog owners, is in preparation by Legou and Gaunet.
Project 2: non-­‐invasive electrophysiology. We plan to record EEG in 5 dogs (Kis et al. 2014, 2017; Bunford et al. 2017) to explore the ability of auditory cortical rhythms to track syllable boundaries in human speech in: 1/ natural continuous speech of an unknown human intended to the dog, 2/ natural continuous speech of the dog’s owner intended to the dog, 3/ a simple sentence usually understood by the dog pronounced by the dog’s owner with prosody, 4/ the same condition without prosody, 5/ aprosodic single words, 6/ single words with intonation.
The data will be analyzed individually using state of the art methods, involving standard analyses of evoked potentials for single words, and more advanced methods of speech/brain cross-­‐correlations (cross spectral density etc.) and EEG time-­‐frequency analyses for continuous speech, as we recently described (Pefkou et al. 2017). We will also use detrended fluctuation analysis to evaluate long range temporal correlations in dogs EEG at rest and during speech (Borges et al. 2017).
o   Expected results
We expect to determine whether the dog’s auditory cortical system spontaneously track syllables in speech, how much this tracking depends on the owner’s voice and/or the owner’s prosody, whether word content can be accessed in dogs without prosodic cues, and finally whether their integration capacity fits with long-range autocorrelation properties of their neural activity.
o  Feasibility over the 3-year period, including project financial support and ethics committee authorizations: F Gaunet: expert in dog communication; will provide theoretical and practical requirements for dog behaviour experiments. T Legou: expert on instrumentation and signal processing, will provide dedicated technical tools. AL Giraud: expert in the neurobiology of speech processing (incl. EEG) will provide corresponding theoretical and practical support. EEG material and vacations to cover dogs’ training will be partly provided by ALG funding and partly asked to ILCB. Although EEG in dogs is only minimally invasive, Ethics committee approval will be obtained prior to EEG measurements.
o  Expected candidate profile: Basic knowledge in EEG (e.g. master training or more), interest in animal cognition, good contact with animals, very good French level.
  

Two PhD studentships opportunities at Plymouth University

The first: 'Understanding the importance of individual heterogeneity in group-living animals' will explore how the role of differences in ‘state’ and experience shape individual – and group-level dynamics in the Trinidadian guppy.


The second: 'Validating a new cognitive proxy measure of animals’ affective state' will develop a novel cognitive test of animal affect, designed to reduce the need for labour-intensive animal training. It will involve working with horses and dogs. 


The studentship will have a three year duration and will cover full-time home/EU tuition fees plus a stipend of £14,777 per annum. The studentship will only fund those applicants who are eligible for home/EU fees with relevant qualifications. Applicants required to cover overseas fees will have to cover the difference between home/EU and overseas tuition fee rates (approximately £10,350 per annum). 

Please contact the relevant supervisor for initial informal discussions. The closing date for applications is 12 noon, 06 April 2018.


mardi 20 mars 2018

12 PhD positions - Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Psychology, and (Psycho-) Linguistics - Göttingen, Germany

The Research Training Group RTG 2070 „Understanding Social Relationships“ (Speaker: Prof. Julia Fischer) at the University of Göttingen and the German Primate Center offers 12 PhD positions beginning on October 1st, 2018. The scientific disciplines involved are Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, Psychology, and (Psycho-) Linguistics.

The research projects of the RTG focus on the social relationships of human and non-human primates. The common aim is to identify core principles explaining the development, maintenance and function of social relationships. Research is structured in the three domains “social signals”, “social monitoring” and “social coordination”.

Detailed information on the application process, the research projects and the training program are available at www.uni-goettingen.de/social-relationships. Application deadline is April 10th.

lundi 19 mars 2018

Research internship: Vocal rhythms in harbour seal pups

Research internship: Vocal rhythms in harbour seal pups

Call for application

A three-month Research Intern position is open for application at the Sealcentre Pieterburen, The Netherlands. The successful candidate will actively perform bioacoustics research with newborn harbour seal pups (usually 1-3 weeks old) under the supervision of Dr. Andrea Ravignani. The project will investigate how harbour seal pups time their calls interactively with conspecifics, as part of a larger Belgian/EU project on pinniped bioacoustics. The candidate will receive training in pinniped behaviour, bioacoustics, experimental design, etc. Apart from hands-on research with animals, depending on the interests of the candidate, there will be possibilities to work on other research projects, or as an assistant seal nurse.

Qualifications: Bachelor or Master degree in any of the following disciplines: Biology, Psychology, Zoology, Animal Behaviour, Marine Biology, Neurosciences, Psychobiology, Cognitive Sciences, Speech and Language Sciences, Sound engineering, etc.

Necessary skills: Crucially, the candidate must (1) have a working command of English, (2) be enthusiastic about behavioural animal research, and (3) be willing to work hard. Previous experience with animals, audio recordings and playback experiments is a plus.

Location and accommodation: Pieterburen is a small town in a natural area of the Netherlands. At any point in time, it hosts tens of young international students, volunteers, and veterinarians, all interested in seals. The university town of Groningen (200,000 inhabitants) is less than an hour away. If needed, cheap onsite accommodation can be provided.

Financial matters: This is an unpaid internship.

Starting date: June, 1st, 2018.

How to apply: Applicants should send a brief cover letter (a few sentences on their reasons for applying) and a CV to Andrea Ravignani (andrea.ravignani@gmail.com).

Application deadline: April, 15th, 2018

Links:
-Sealcentre Pieterburen: https://www.zeehondencentrum.nl 
-Andrea Ravignani: https://ravignani.wordpress.com

4-year PhD studentships in Behaviour Informatics at Newcastle University

4-year PhD studentships in Behaviour Informatics and the multimodal study of behaviour 

Are you interested in developing novel approaches to understanding, predicting or changing behaviour? 

Newcastle University is offering five, 4-year PhD studentships in the field of behaviour informatics. These are fully funded for UK and other EU students.

Behaviour informatics brings together the study of behaviour in all its guises, from economics to psychology and from behavioural ecology to animal welfare, with new methods from computational science and engineering to address challenging questions in human and/or animal behaviour. 
We want to attract students with backgrounds relevant to either behaviour (life, social sciences and economics) or informatics (computing science, engineering and mathematics) who are keen to expand their skills and pursue research at the intersection of these disciplines.  

Students recruited in 2018 will form the first cohort of an integrated programme funded by the Leverhulme Trust to develop training in behavioural informatics at Newcastle. In the first year, all students will conduct three taster projects that will give them the opportunity to choose and develop their final PhD project. All students will work with two supervisors, one from each discipline. The four-year program is designed to allow time for the upskill training necessary for successful inter-disciplinary research. 

For further information please visit: www.behaviourinformatics.org.uk

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD TO UNDERGRADS AND MASTERS STUDENTS!

vendredi 16 mars 2018

Animal Minds Project e.V.

The “Animal Minds Project e.V.” advertises 3 postdoc stipends associated to the Comparative Cognition Group at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology (MPIO) in Seewiesen (located near Starnberg, about 50 km from Munich), an internationally renowned research institution with more than 200 employees working in four departments and nine research groups. The research group of Comparative Cognition runs a research station in collaboration with the Loro Parque Fundación (LPF) on Tenerife, Spain where comparative cognitive studies on parrots and other animals can be carried out. In this regard, “Animal Minds Project e.V.” invites applications for

2 postdoctoral stipends in parrot comparative cognition.

The 2 stipends provide an opportunity to carry out research projects on the evolution and mechanisms of complex cognition in parrots (and corvids) using a comparative approach. The successful candidate will join the Comparative Cognition Group and therefore be affiliated scientifically to the Max-Planck-Institute for Ornithology. (S)he will have access to the greatest parrot collection in the world comprising over 350 (sub)species of parrots and a laboratory with ca. 40 trained parrots (touch screen, exchange paradigm etc.) of 4 species. This allows comparative cognitive studies at a new scale and on a new large-brained model system.

1 postdoctoral stipend on delphinid cognition and vocal learning.

This stipend is intended to allow research on vocal learning ability and cognition of delphinids. The successful candidate obtains access to the necessary research equipment and subjects kept in Zoos and will be affiliated to the Max-Planck-Institute of Ornithology (Comparative Cognition Group).

Application requirements and selection criteria:

Applicants should hold a PhD in animal cognition or experimental/developmental psychology, and have two years of Postdoc research experience in animal cognition and/or developmental psychology of human children and should be qualified by a good publication record. Good statistical skills in relevant subjects are desirable. High self-motivation and ability to work independently and in a team are an absolute must. Additionally, the position requires team-leading skills, good organization and time management skills and writing proficiency. Basic knowledge of Spanish is helpful. The candidates will be selected according to their scientific qualification and proposed project.

The starting date will be from April 2018 but ideally no later than September 2018. The monthly stipend for a full time engagement on Tenerife will be up to € 2,325.- .The stipend is available initially for two years but can be extended subject to satisfactory performance. For further information, please contact: info@animalminds.org.

Applications can be made both in English or German Language. Qualified women in particular are encouraged to apply. Please submit a cover letter (describing your research interests, experience and goals), a short description of your proposed research project, your CV, copies of degree certificates and a list of two references as one single PDF via e-mail to: info@animalminds.org

Deadline for applications: 28.03.2018

offre de bourse de thèse

L'équipe "Neuroendocrinologie des Interactions et Comportements Sexuels" du laboratoire de Physiologie de la Reproduction & des Comportements, UMR 0085 INRA/CNRS/Université de Tours/IFCE dispose d’un financement de thèse sur les mécanismes neuronaux qui sous-tendent les comportements sociaux et reproductifs.

Projet:
 Le projet prend place au sein de l'Ecole Doctorale "Santé, Sciences Biologiques et Chimie du Vivant (SSBCV) n°549" de l'Université de Tours. Il se concentrera sur la compréhension du rôle du système olfactif et des mécanismes de transduction du signal dans les comportements reproductifs et sociosexuels, et leurs mécanismes neurobiologiques. Cette thématique sera abordée au travers d’une une approche multidisciplinaire (comportement, physiologie, neuroscience) puisque nous combinons des techniques moléculaires, physiologiques et microscopiques, ainsi que de génétique chez la souris et diverses méthodologies d'expression des gènes pour décrypter la connectivité cellulaire et les voies moléculaires par lesquelles les neurones interagissent et traitent l’information olfactive. Le but principal du laboratoire est de comprendre la signification fonctionnelle des connexions neuronales olfactives dans les circuits neuronaux, et leur rôle dans les comportements et la reproduction. Date de début: septembre-octobre 2018.

Techniques :
•Imagerie du calcium sur cellules vivantes
•Microscopie confocale
•Biologie moléculaire
•Approches comportementales chez la souris
•Approches de neuroanatomie

Qualifications:
Le candidat doit être très motivé et s'intéresser aux neurosciences. Les candidats seront titulaires d'un Master2 dans un domaine pertinent (p. ex. neurosciences, physiologie ou biochimie). Une expérience préalable dans l’un des domaines suivants : imagerie calcique, électrophysiologie, culture cellulaire et/ou modification génétique par vecteur viral, modèles animaux (rongeurs), techniques de biologie moléculaire et cellulaire sera prise en compte. Par ailleurs une bonne maitrise de l’anglais est nécessaire.

Envoyez votre CV et lettre de motivation par email au directeur de thèse P. Chamero:
Pablo.chamero-benito@inra.fr avant le 10 Avril. Dans votre lettre, veuillez fournir les noms et coordonnées d'au moins deux personnes référentes.



jeudi 15 mars 2018

PhD opportunity beginning on 1 October 2018

Validating a new cognitive proxy measure of animals’ affective state
Director of Studies: Dr Carole Fureix
Second Supervisor: Dr Ben Brilot
Third Supervisor: Professor Mike Mendl, University of Bristol
Project description
Accurate measurement of animal welfare is essential in order to correctly assess the wellbeing of animals managed in different ways. Because welfare heavily depends on how animals feel, we need to develop welfare measures that capture the animal’s affective state valence [i.e. is that a positive or a negative state]. Measures that do so are the affect-related cognitive judgements of ambiguity, since people and animals in negative affective states appear to judge ambiguous stimuli more pessimistically than their counterparts in more positive affective states. Existing cognitive measures in animals also have major limitations, however, such as requiring a labour-intensive training regime. Working with horses and dogs as subjects, this project aims to validate a novel cognitive proxy measure of animal affect, which will capture the valence of the animal’s affective state while reducing the need for labour-intensive animal training. You will be trained in animal handling, behaviour quantification and welfare assessment, cognition, and develop competence sought in any scientific career paths, such as advanced statistical analysis, connecting with industry, conference presentations and scientific writing, involvement in project supervision, and experience of public engagement.

Eligibility


Applicants should have a minimum of a first class or upper second class bachelor degree. Applications from candidates with a relevant masters qualification will be welcomed. Applicants should be self-motivated with a commitment to research and excellent ability to work independently as well as a team member. A current UK/EU driving licence is essential to this role due to the requirement to travel to isolated establishments. Desirable aspects are an MSc or MRes qualification in behaviour, animal welfare and/or cognition, own transport, evidence of high involvement in previous research projects (e.g. co-authorship in presentations at international scientific conferences and/or in peer-reviewed scientific publications), experience of conducting research with dogs and/or horses. 
If you wish to discuss this project further informally, please contact Dr Carole Fureix. However, application must be made in accordance with the details below.

Funding

The studentship will have a three year duration and will cover full-time Home/EU tuition fees plus a stipend of £14,777 per annum. The studentship will only fund those applicants who are eligible for Home/EU fees with relevant qualifications. Applicants required to cover overseas fees will have to cover the difference between Home/EU and overseas tuition fee rates (approximately £10,350 per annum).
General information about applying for a research degree at Plymouth University is available at: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/student-life/your-studies/research-degrees/applicants-and-enquirers  
You can apply via the online application form which can be found at: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/study/postgraduate and select ‘Apply’.
Please mark it FAO Miss Aimee McNeillie and clearly state that you are applying for a PhD studentship within the School of Biological and Marine Sciences.
For more information on the admissions process contact Aimee McNeillie.
Closing date for applications: 12 noon, 06 April 2018.
Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview in early May. We regret that we may not be able to respond to all applications. Applicants who have not received an offer of a place by 30 May 2018 should consider their application has been unsuccessful on this occasion.

To have more details : https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/student-life/your-studies/research-degrees/postgraduate-research-studentships/validating-a-new-cognitive-proxy-measure-of-animals-affective-state
 

mercredi 14 mars 2018

Lecturer in Zoology - University of Otago, New Zealand

Un poste de Maître de conférence/ Lecturer au Département de Zoologie, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

Plus de détails ici: https://otago.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobdetail.ftl?lang=en&job=1800163

DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY
DIVISION OF SCIENCES

Divisional Structure

The Division of Sciences is one of the four teaching divisions in the University, the others being Health Sciences, Commerce, and Humanities. The Division of Sciences represents a broad range of disciplines in 15 Departments and a number of inter-disciplinary programmes.

For more information about the Division of Sciences www.sciences.otago.ac.nz

Our Department

The Department of Zoology is distinctive internationally for its focus on whole organism biology.

Our staff have international reputations in their areas of expertise and make major contributions to answering fundamental questions in basic and applied research.

Zoology is one of a number of departments that contribute to the Neuroscience Programme. For more information: www.otago.ac.nz/neuroscience

The Role

Applications are invited for the position of Lecturer in Zoology. We are seeking a person with expertise in neuroethology, with potential to develop as an outstanding researcher and teacher. You will have a broad range of interests and skills that will enable you to contribute and collaborate within the Department of Zoology and in the inter-departmental Neuroscience Programme.

The Department of Zoology has a strong reputation in whole organism biology, with research strengths in areas including neurobiology, animal behaviour, conservation biology, genetics, evolutionary biology, parasitology, environmental physiology and wildlife management. We have links to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the Department of Computer Science, the Genetics Programme and other centres at the University of Otago, providing a collaborative environment and resources for innovative interdisciplinary research. University of Otago academics are encouraged and supported to maintain international collaborations. Applicants are encouraged to identify the manner in which they could complement existing strengths in the Department, and potentially develop new and innovative directions in research and teaching.

Your Skills and Experience

• PhD, with established research focus in neuroethology or closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience and ability in delivering high-quality teaching and research in neuroethology or closely related discipline.

Further Details

This is a confirmation-path (tenure track) position at the level of Lecturer (equivalent to Assistant Professor in the North American system). The successful candidate is expected to take up duties by 1 February 2019.

Specific enquiries may be directed to Professor Gerry Closs, Head of Department, Department of Zoology, via the contact details below.

Application

To submit your application please click the apply button below. Applications quoting reference number 1800163 will close on Tuesday, 3 April 2018.
Additional Information

Contact: Professor Gerry Closs    Tel: 03 479 7972

Position details: Information Statement

Guidelines for Academic Positions: Guidelines

Further Information: Department Website

Create an email with a link to this vacancy: Create email

Location: About Dunedin

Relocation: Support

Immigration: Immigration and Visas

Primary Location

 NZL-SI-Dunedin

Employment Status

 Permanent Full-time
Salary Level and Range Lecturer / Research Fellow ($78,445 to $93,821)

Organisation

 Zoology

Job Function

 Research and Teaching