Summer internship position - Iceland

 Space use in salmonids – Field internship position
Hosting structure: Department of Aquaculture & Fish Biology, Hólar University - Iceland
Dates: Between late June and the end of August 2025 – 2 months internship
Context of the study:
Territoriality, foraging mode and social interactions are all parts of animals’ space use.
Territoriality is often described as an area with resources such as food or shelter defended by
an individual. However, individuals display great within-population variability, which drives
the establishment of a social hierarchy with dominants and subordinates. This leads to unequal
access to resources such as food, shelter, or mates and eventually influences the population
distribution. However, this social organisation is not permanent and could be affected by
parameters such as predation risk, food abundance and distribution, or modification of the
environmental conditions. Stream fish, particularly salmonids, are known to be highly variable
in their behaviour among individuals, populations, and species.
This project aims to repeatedly estimate space use patterns (territory size, foraging mode, spatial
organisation) for juvenile Arctic charr in a natural stream. Specifically, we will conduct a field
experiment to estimate how these space use patterns, and their individual repeatability, vary
between situations where food resources (drifting invertebrates) are either either clumped or
dispersed in space.
The research project involves a collaboration between Dr. Stefan O. Steingrimsson, Dr. Camille
Leblanc, Dr. David Benhaim at Holar University, Dr. James W.A. Grant at Concordia
University in Montréal, Canada, and Dr. Laura K. Weir at St. Mary´s University, in Halifax,
Canada.
Student project:
The student task will be to collect data on space use individually tagged fish in stream
enclosures via direct observation from the riverbank and to measure the food abundance and
habitat in each enclosure.
The student will collaborate closely with a M.Sc. student, Kelsey Stansberry, and 2-3 other
students/assistants.
Organizational details:
The working language is English. Accommodation is between 68.000-75.000ISK (450-500€)
per month in a shared house and is at the student’s charge. Commuting between the lab and the
accommodation place will be at the lab's charge, and meals during fieldwork are at the project
charge. The student will also have free access to the University gym, pool, hot pot and cold pot.
Hólar also provides wonderful sceneries for hiking in the mountains and the forest.
This internship is not gratified, but Iceland is eligible for Erasmus+ grants.
Requirements:
The candidates must be enrolled in a degree in the fields of ecology, behavioral ecology,
ethology, or relevant equivalent fields. A valid driving license is a requirement.
Application:
Applicants should send an application letter and CV as a single pdf to Stefan O. Steingrimsson
(stefan@holar.is). Requests for further information can be sent to the same email address.