Topic: The behavior and
cognition of modern humans (Homo sapiens) uniquely enables
knowledge and culture to accumulate over generations. How and
why these powerful abilities evolved remains a conundrum,
especially for traits that leave little fossil record, such as
communication and perishable tool use. A promising avenue of
investigation is conducting comparative research on our closest
living relatives, especially chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), who
show a number of similar and rare traits with modern humans
(e.g. prosocial behavior, prolonged juvenile development,
flexible tool use, cultural traits, etc.).
This PhD project will assess the extent to which current levels
of illegal human activity in the Tai National Park impact the
diversity of cultural traits across four habituated chimpanzee
communities of the Tai Chimpanzee Project. Illegal human
activity varies considerably with the two communities closest to
the park boundary (North and South) suffering much higher rates
of illegal human activity than the two communities deeper in the
park (East and North East). The PhD has three objectives.
Objective 1. Document change in diversity of cultural traits
across four chimpanzee communities.
Objective 2. Assess change in illegal hunting activity across
the territories of four chimpanzee communities.
Objective 3. Investigate the impact of change in illegal hunting
activity on diversity of cultural traits.
Context: You will be joining the Ape Social
Mind Lab team (at the Institute of Cognitive
Sciences (ISC-MJ) in Lyon, France), which is
exploring questions related to the evolution of sociality,
social cognition, communication and culture in primates.
Reporting to team leaders Roman WITTIG and Catherine CROCKFORD,
you will become a member of an international team.
Field work will be conducted at the Tai Chimpanzee Project
(TCP), a long-term field site operating since 45 years. The Tai
National Park is located in the south-west of the Ivory Coast
and home to four chimpanzee communities habituated to human
observers. TCP is at the forefront of research in wild
chimpanzees and partnered with the Centre Suisse de Recherche
Scientifique en Cote d'Ivoire (CSRS). CSRS in Abidjan is a
leading institution for research on biodiversity and
conservation in Cote d'Ivoire and will be your host institution
while conducting your PhD research in the field. Two field trips
to TCP of longer duration (6-9 months) are necessary to conduct
the research.
Condition: Condition for the PhD
is a Masters in Biology, Psychology or Anthropology (or any
related subject). Experience in detailed behavioral observations
of primates or social mammals under field conditions will be of
great advantage. Fluency in English (in speaking and writing)
and French is conditional.
Data collection will be conducted with the wild chimpanzees in
the Tai National Park, in Cote d'Ivoire. The successful
candidate needs excellent stress resilience for the field work,
very good physical condition (long working hours hiking with the
chimps through the primary rain forest), ability to integrate
into a team, and live and work in social isolation (only
sporadic internet and phone contact).
PhD: You will conduct your thesis
in the Doctoral School for Neuroscience and Cognition at the
University of Lyon in France under supervision of Roman WITTIG
and Catherine CROCKFORD. An additional supervisor will be Inza
KONE, Professor at the University Félix
Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan.
Start: in between Oct 1, 2024 and Feb 1, 2025
Contract: French PhD contract (2135.-- Euro gross monthly)
Please apply with a CV, letter of motivation and a short research proposal (1 A4 page) through the CNRS application portal: https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UMR5229-ROMWIT-004/Default.aspx?lang=EN