We are looking for a master’s student to join our team at the University of Vienna under the supervision of Prof. Leonida Fusani (team leader), Morgan Job Knoester (PhD candidate) and Giovanni Spezie (postdoc). The project focuses on the elaborate movements and postures that male spotted bowerbirds (Chlamydera maculata) perform during courtship displays. The aim of the project is to analyse video recordings that have been collected in previous field seasons.
Duration: 2-4 months; start date is negotiable.
Activities: the intern will have to use
AI-based techniques to track body movements of male birds during courtship, in
order to address research questions related to social learning, but the intern
will also have the opportunity to develop research questions independently. The
analyses will be conducted using the software Loopy (http://loopb.io, Loopbio, GmbH,
Austria), a kit of
video analysis tools including behavioural scoring, deep learning, etc. The
intern will be trained to use Loopy and other video analysis software before
working on video processing and analysis autonomously.
Costs: the expenses for travel and accommodation will have to
be covered by the intern. We do however encourage the candidate to apply for
funding through the Erasmus program.
Requirements: Good knowledge of R is required.
The intern will have to process and analyze large datasets independently in R.
Prior experience with AI-based techniques is not necessary but preferred.
In case of interest, please contact and send a brief
CV to: Giovanni Spezie and Morgan Job Knoester; giovanni.spezie@vetmeduni.ac.at;
job.knoester@univie.ac.at