voici une annonce pour des
projets de maîtrise ou de doctorat en écologie
comportementale et cognitive
des Mésanges à tête noire et des Mésanges
charbonnières.
Ces projets se
dérouleront dans le laboratoire de Julie
Morand-Ferron à l'Université d'Ottawa,
Ontario, Canada.
Les candidat.e.s devront
postuler
préférentiellement avant
fin septembre 2018.
Graduate Positions in Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology
Funding is available for PhD or MSc students in the Morand-Ferron lab,
University Research Chair in Cognitive Ecology.
Research on cognitive processes has historically targeted mechanistic questions via neurosciences and psychology, leaving evolutionary considerations mostly unexamined. As a consequence we still do not understand why cognitive abilities vary so drastically between or within-species, or the consequences this variation has on cultural and biological evolution. Research in my group aims at examining the causes and consequences of individual variation in cognitive abilities, using a combination of field experiments, aviary work, and wild population monitoring. Research questions will be developed in collaboration with the selected candidates, but are expected to be centred on one of the following themes:
Funding is available for PhD or MSc students in the Morand-Ferron lab,
University Research Chair in Cognitive Ecology.
Research on cognitive processes has historically targeted mechanistic questions via neurosciences and psychology, leaving evolutionary considerations mostly unexamined. As a consequence we still do not understand why cognitive abilities vary so drastically between or within-species, or the consequences this variation has on cultural and biological evolution. Research in my group aims at examining the causes and consequences of individual variation in cognitive abilities, using a combination of field experiments, aviary work, and wild population monitoring. Research questions will be developed in collaboration with the selected candidates, but are expected to be centred on one of the following themes:
(1) Urbanization, social information use, and dominance in black-capped chickadees:
Previous work in my group suggests that chickadees living in more urbanized settings value social information about novel food patch less than conspecifics from forested patches located outside of Ottawa (Jones et al 2017 Anim Behav 129, 93:101).
Moreover, dominants receive and transmit social information at a higher rate, perhaps due to their more central social network position. Future work would involve designing experiments to directly assess the possibility that urban and rural chickadees differ in the type of information they attend to, and elucidate potential differences in the benefits of dominance along an urbanization gradient. Other potential research themes include food-hoarding and spatial cognition, producer-scrounger game, and animal personality.
Previous work in my group suggests that chickadees living in more urbanized settings value social information about novel food patch less than conspecifics from forested patches located outside of Ottawa (Jones et al 2017 Anim Behav 129, 93:101).
Moreover, dominants receive and transmit social information at a higher rate, perhaps due to their more central social network position. Future work would involve designing experiments to directly assess the possibility that urban and rural chickadees differ in the type of information they attend to, and elucidate potential differences in the benefits of dominance along an urbanization gradient. Other potential research themes include food-hoarding and spatial cognition, producer-scrounger game, and animal personality.
(2) The cognition behind social interactions in great tits:
Great tits must navigate a wide range of social interactions, from agonistic encounters to affiliative interactions in winter flocks and with potential mates. This project seeks to examine cognitive processes underlying the ability of individuals to adjust their social behaviour depending on the current context. Additional themes include habitat-related differences in behaviour and cognition, as a follow-up of our findings of differential accuracy in a reversal learning task in conspecifics from low vs. high elevations (Hermer et al 2018 Behav Ecol 29, 840:847). This project will be conducted in collaboration with Prof. Alexis Chaine; data collection will take place in Moulis, France, but the student will be based in Ottawa.
To apply: Send a short cover letter, CV, and latest unofficial transcript to jmf@uottawa.ca
Selected candidates will be guaranteed a paid position of 20 000$CAD per year (4 years for PhD, 2 years for MSc). Canadian applicants with >85% CGPA in their last two years of studies automatically obtain a UO scholarship covering 100% tuition fees for the duration of their studies, and are expected to apply for NSERC and OGS scholarships. International PhD students pay tuition fees at the same level than Canadian students (approx. 8000$/year). Ideal candidates would have research experience in behavioural ecology or animal cognition, and have contributed to the writing of scientific publication(s). Positions will be filled as suitable applicants get interviewed and accepted, most likely by the end of Sept 2018. Start date: May or Sept 2019.
Dr Julie Morand-Ferron
Associate Professor and University Research Chair in Cognitive Ecology
Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Canada
@JMorandFerron
http://mysite.science.uottawa.ca/jmorandf
Great tits must navigate a wide range of social interactions, from agonistic encounters to affiliative interactions in winter flocks and with potential mates. This project seeks to examine cognitive processes underlying the ability of individuals to adjust their social behaviour depending on the current context. Additional themes include habitat-related differences in behaviour and cognition, as a follow-up of our findings of differential accuracy in a reversal learning task in conspecifics from low vs. high elevations (Hermer et al 2018 Behav Ecol 29, 840:847). This project will be conducted in collaboration with Prof. Alexis Chaine; data collection will take place in Moulis, France, but the student will be based in Ottawa.
To apply: Send a short cover letter, CV, and latest unofficial transcript to jmf@uottawa.ca
Selected candidates will be guaranteed a paid position of 20 000$CAD per year (4 years for PhD, 2 years for MSc). Canadian applicants with >85% CGPA in their last two years of studies automatically obtain a UO scholarship covering 100% tuition fees for the duration of their studies, and are expected to apply for NSERC and OGS scholarships. International PhD students pay tuition fees at the same level than Canadian students (approx. 8000$/year). Ideal candidates would have research experience in behavioural ecology or animal cognition, and have contributed to the writing of scientific publication(s). Positions will be filled as suitable applicants get interviewed and accepted, most likely by the end of Sept 2018. Start date: May or Sept 2019.
Dr Julie Morand-Ferron
Associate Professor and University Research Chair in Cognitive Ecology
Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Canada
@JMorandFerron
http://mysite.science.uottawa.ca/jmorandf