Research Fellow in Farm Animal Welfare opportunity at the University of Leeds

Looking for a post-doc with farm animal welfare experience to join team at the University of Leeds (UK).

Apply here: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CTX781/research-fellow-in-farm-animal-welfare

 

Postdoc/grad student position(s) to study rhythm perception

 We are looking for a talented postdoc and/or graduate student to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying rhythm perception in songbirds.  This work is an NIH-funded collaboration between my lab in the Biology department and the lab of Prof. Aniruddh Patel (music cognition) in Psychology, and involves behavioral experiments on rhythm perception and neural recordings from auditory and motor regions in zebra finches.   

 

The ideal postdoctoral candidate should have experience in neurophysiology and animal behavior as well as excellent experimental design, analytical, and communication skills.  Programming skills (including python and MATLAB) and prior bioacoustics experience are preferred. 

 

The ideal graduate student should have a bachelor's degree in biology, psychology, or other technical field.  Programming skills (e.g., python and MATLAB), prior bioacoustics experience, and experience conducting experiments with small animals are preferred.  Some experience in neurophysiological recording is ideal, but this is not a requirement.  The PhD program in Biology is a research-intensive program that also has a strong focus on teaching (https://as.tufts.edu/biology/prospective-students/graduate-programs).  PhD students in Biology receive full tuition support for six years, a competitive stipend, and health coverage, and receive extensive training in pedagogy, outreach and communication.  The application deadline for graduate students is Dec. 1, 2022.  

 

The project summary from our grant is below, followed by relevant publications. 

 

If interested, please send a CV and short bio to me (mimi.kao@tufts.edu) and/or Prof. Patel (a.patel@tufts.edu).

Project summary:

Much of the world’s music has periodic rhythms with events repeating regularly in time, to which people clap, move, and sing.  The ability to detect and predict periodic auditory rhythms is central to the positive effects of music-based therapies on a variety of neurological disorders, including improving phonological processing in dyslexia, enhancing language recovery after stroke, and normalizing gait in Parkinson’s disease.  Yet the neural mechanisms underlying rhythm perception are not well understood, and progress is impeded by the lack of an animal model that allows precise measurement and manipulation of neural circuits during rhythm perception.  Human neuroimaging studies indicate that perceiving periodic musical rhythms strongly engages the motor planning system, including premotor cortex and basal ganglia, even when the listener is not moving or preparing to move.  Here, we test the hypothesis that the motor planning system is actively involved in learning to recognize temporal periodicity and communicates predictions about the timing of periodic events to the auditory system.  We propose to take advantage of the well-described auditory-motor circuits in vocal learning songbirds and leverage the mechanistic studies possible in an animal model to test these ideas. Like humans (and unlike nonhuman primates), vocal learning birds have strong connections between motor planning regions and auditory regions due to their reliance on complex, learned vocal sequences for communication. Auditory-motor circuits in songbirds and humans have many structural and functional parallels.  Recently, we showed that songbirds can readily learn to recognize a fundamental periodic pattern (isochrony, or equal timing between events) and can detect this pattern across a broad range of tempi. In Aim 1, we will test whether neural signals from premotor regions play a causal role in this ability to flexibly recognize periodic rhythms. In Aim 2, by recording in auditory cortex while reversibly silencing activity in a reciprocally connected premotor region, we will test whether premotor signals influence auditory processing of periodic rhythms. In Aim 3, by recording activity in a premotor region as birds learn to recognize isochrony as a global temporal pattern, we will determine whether premotor neurons develop sensitivity to temporal regularity and exhibit activity that predicts the timing of upcoming events.  Establishing an animal model for rhythm perception will be transformative for music neuroscience, allowing detailed investigation of the neural mechanisms underlying rhythm perception and informing rhythm-based musical interventions to enhance function in normal and disease states. 

 

Relevant papers:  

Rouse, A. A., Patel, A. D., & Kao, M. H. (2021). Vocal learning and flexible rhythm pattern perception are linked: Evidence from songbirds. PNAS, 118(29), e2026130118. 

 

Cannon, J. J., & Patel, A. D. (2021). How beat perception co-opts motor neurophysiology. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 25(2), 137-150. 

 

Moorman, S., Ahn, J. R., & Kao, M. H. (2021). Plasticity of stereotyped birdsong driven by chronic manipulation of cortical-basal ganglia activity. Current Biology, 31(12), 2619-2632. 

ITAVI recherche un stagiaire en agronomie

 

Stage - Chargé(e) d’études agroéconomie

PERIODE : 6 mois à partir du premier trimestre 2023

 

ORGANISME : ITAVI - Institut technique des filières avicole, cunicole et piscicole

 

SITES D'ACCUEIL PRIVILEGIES (au choix) :

ÿ      Rennes, Maison de l’Agriculture de Rennes, Rond-point Maurice-le-Lannou

ÿ      Paris, 7 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière

 

TITRE : Analyse technico-économiques en élevages de poules pondeuses dans un contexte de forte variabilité des matières premières.

 

Organisme d’accueil

Crée en 1968, l’ITAVI est un organisme de recherche appliquée qui apporte son expertise aux professionnels des filières avicole, cunicole et piscicole afin de contribuer à leur progrès en apportant des connaissances techniques et scientifiques. Ses huit implantations situées à Paris (75), Nouzilly (37), Ploufragan (22), Lyon (69), Angers (49), Rouen (76), Mont-de-Marsan (40) et Rennes (35) lui permettent de travailler au plus près des besoins des éleveurs et des entreprises des différentes filières.

Vous souhaitez en savoir plus sur les activités de l’Itavi ? Retrouvez-nous sur www.itavi.asso.fr

 

Contexte du stage

La France produit 14,5 milliards d’œufs par an, soit environ 215 œufs par habitants. Plus de 3000 élevages de poules pondeuses répondent à une demande croissante des consommateurs pour l’une des protéines les moins cher du marché. Mais le prix n’est pas le seul facteur structurant le marché des œufs coquilles et ovoproduits : depuis de nombreuses années les modes d’élevages se diversifient pour répondre aux attentes d’une diversité de « consom’acteurs » et des engagements de l’aval (grande distribution, chaînes de restauration).

 

Depuis 2020, l’inflation des matières premières agricoles et énergétiques impacte différemment les élevages de poules pondeuses. Pour justifier d’une revalorisation du prix d’achat lors des négociations commerciales, cette hausse des coûts de production doit être quantifiée pour chaque mode d’élevage.

 

Dans le cadre de la remise à jour des références techniques et économiques en élevages de poules pondeuses, l’ITAVI est à la recherche d’un profil bac+5 de formation agri/agro, souhaitant une expérience proche du terrain et des enjeux de développement durable des filières.

 

Missions

Ce stage s’articule autour des missions suivantes :

ÿ      Analyse bibliographique de la filière pondeuse

o   Ressources internes à disposition à l’arrivée

ÿ      Conduite d’enquêtes terrain pour le recensement des données technico-économiques

o   Liste d’éleveurs à contacter à disposition à l’arrivée

ÿ      Conduite d’entretien exploratoires auprès de personnes ressources identifiées

o   Formation sur la conduite d’entretien et co-construction du formulaire

ÿ      Contribution à la rédaction des rapports, synthèse et valorisation des analyses

 

Des déplacements sur le territoire métropolitain (en particulier dans le Grand Ouest) sont à prévoir.

 

Profil

• De formation Bac+5, en stage* de fin d’études, stage de césure ;
• Permis B indispensable, disposer d’une voiture personnelle serait un plus ;

·       Appétence pour la zootechnie, l’aviculture, les relations avec les acteurs des filières (éleveurs, conseillers de gestion, techniciens, collègues de l’ITAVI) ;

• Maîtrise d’Excel et comptabilité ;
• Vous êtes curieux et disposez d’une bonne capacité d’initiative et d’autonomie ;
• Vous faites preuve de bonnes capacités rédactionnelles ;
• Selon les profils, 2 stagiaires peuvent être recrutés, il est donc possible de postuler à deux pour cette mission ;

 

CV et lettre de motivation à envoyer à fourdin@itavi.asso.fr

 

*Indemnités stagiaire : conforme à la réglementation en vigueur + Indemnité de double résidence (si résidence principale située à plus de 50 Km du lieu de stage) + Tickets restaurant (restauration à proximité du lieu d’accueil) + frais de déplacement + frais de téléphone portable dans les mêmes conditions que les salariés de l’ITAVI (25 euros par mois)

Project Coordinator for Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary

 TACUGAMA CHIMPANZEE SANCTUARY, Sierra Leone, is Hiring!

for the project:

"Targeted actions to enhance habitat regeneration, conservation, and biodiversity in the Outamba-Kilimi-Madina-Oula transboundary landscape of Guinea and Sierra Leone" funded by USAid WABiLED

JOB DESCRIPTION

Project Coordinator:

Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary (TCS) was founded in 1995 by Bala Amarasekaran together with the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL). Everything TCS does starts with the chimps and transitions into wildlife conservation, research, climate change mitigation, advocacy, law enforcement, youth and women empowerment, community outreach, eco-tourism, environmental education and livelihood support initiatives.

Previous studies have recognized the Outamba-Kilimi-Madina-Oula (OKMO) transboundary landscape in Guinea and Sierra Leone as a hotspot for endangered species such as the western chimpanzee (CR), African forest elephant (CR), hooded vulture (CR), giant ground pangolin (EN) and flora species such as Nymphoides guineensis (EN) and the endemic to Guinea Dilophotriche occidentalis (VU).

The present 1.5-year project supports ongoing conservation initiatives (EU-Funded OKKPS PAPFor project) that were born out of the government will in both countries. WCF and TCS collaborate together on this project, with WCF as main applicant and TCS as co-applicant. In addition to support the creation process of the Penselli-Soyah-Sabouyah National Park in Guinea, this project aims to enhance habitat regeneration, conservation, and biodiversity in the Outamba-Kilimi-Madina-Oula trans boundary landscape of Guinea and Sierra Leone.

In order to develop and coordinate the operational management of the forest landscape complex of OKMO, the project is recruiting a Project Coordinator in Sierra Leone, under funding obtained from the WABiLED, and the mandate given by Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary (TCS) and the Government of Sierra Leone.

OBJECTIVE

The Project Coordinator will be responsible for coordinating and overseeing the implementation of all project activities (community work, research, education, finance and logistics) to improve the management of the Outamba-Kilimi-Kuru Hills landscape in Sierra Leone.

THE TEAM 

The Project Coordinator will work closely with TCS Outreach staff, staff on the current EU-funded OKKPS PAPFor project incluiding staff from WCF, these include:

TCS: Conservation Manager, Field Manager, Assistant Conservation Manager, Research Manager;

OKKPS SL: Community Conservation Manager, Logistics and Finance team, GIS Officer, Community Field Officers, Ecoguards, NPAA Guards

OKKPS Guinea: WCF Project Manager, WCF Special Projects Manager, WCF Financial Director, Ecoguards, OGPR Guards

MAIN ROLE AND RESPONSABILITIES

 Main activities will be conducted in the zone of Outamba-Kilimi-Kuru Hills, with regular trips to Freetown to assist the finance, logistics and GIS teams.

 Contribute to the development of the OKMO project’s strategies in Sierra Leone:

 Coordinate a wildlife survey using systematic linear transects and camera traps to gain information and confirm the importance of the conservation value of the zone. WCF and TCS will carry two complementary, standardized and harmonized methods of wildlife monitoring within the OKMO landscape.

 To enhance law enforcement in the landscape using the implementation of monthly surveillance and anti-trafficking patrols by community ecoguards in collaboration with the national authorities (NPAA in Sierra Leone).

 Plan the effective management of wildfires in the landscape.

 Promote forest landscape restoration through a Natural Ecological Regeneration (NER) approach with a conditional adaptation of the Moyen Bafing National Park (MBNP) model developed by WCF in Guinea.

 Design and implement different outreach activities that help to create awareness for the local villages, including radio broadcasts, focus groups conducting regular awareness sessions.

 Support the local governance with involvement of all socio-professional structures and committees;

 Ensure the supervision of all socio-economic studies and the diagnosis of the local communities’ resilience to climate changes;

 Ensure a good communication between the project and the representatives of local communities;

 Support the data collect and the monitoring and evaluation of activities related to community development and involvement in Sierra Leone;

 Support the writing of field reports following a standard template;

 Support the development of competitively strong proposals and concept notes in coordination with the development team;

 Ensure the synergy between the actions of her/his program and the other programs of the OKKPS project;

 Regularly exchange with colleagues from other WCF and TCS projects and bring and share her/his expertise;

 Contribute technically to the preparation and organization of office activities: oral presentations, government and community-based meetings, consolidation of the terms of references before validation by the hierarchy.

 Support the writing and publication of the OKKPS project’s results in Sierra Leone;

 Help with the writing of field and meeting reports and make recommendations;

 Write monthly and quarterly reports of activities and submit them to the hierarchy on time;

 Write articles to be posted online on specific Media;

 Communicate with her/his immediate supervisor;

 Ensure the supervision and the quality of the terms of references, the production and monitoring of budgets, and the writing of activity reports;

 Regularly produce activity reports related to her/his program and share results with her/his immediate supervisor;

 Regularly communicate with her/his immediate supervisor to ensure a good coordination of all the activities of the project.

OTHERS

 Have a good knowledge of the goals and missions of the WCF and TCS;

 Be aware of the general objectives and activities as well as the ones specific to the job position;

 Be aware of the activities of other programs of the project, support them and respect the rules and procedures;

 Help with the general understanding related to the social and political context;

 Translate documents and interpret conversations if necessary.

RULES TO RESPECT

Confidentiality is an absolute rule for this position, it is strictly forbidden to divulge information and any breach of this rule will be considered as a serious fault and sanctioned in accordance with the provisions of the bylaws;

She/he must report to her/his supervisor any significant difficulty that an employee may encounter or in implementing an activity;

She/he must treat all employees equally, without favouritism or privileges granted for any reason;

Respects the rules and customs of local populations (politeness and good manners).

EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS

Qualification–Masters / Ph.D in science or a university degree in Rural Development / Sociology / Agronomy / Conservation or any other similar field;

At least 5 years of professional experience in rural sociology, rural development, participative mapping, surveys, structuring of local communities;

At least 2 years of experience in the management of natural resources involving local communities within a national or international NGO;

Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and internet and medias (social network, websites, site web, etc.).

PROFILE / DESIRED SKILLS

Have strong listening and communication skills;

Have good human relation skills and team spirit;

Have excellent skills for synthesis, and for written and oral expression;

Be able to guarantee the confidentiality and discretion and be able to represent the NGO at the local level;

Have sensitivity for environmental issues and specifically for the management of natural resources involving local communities;

Have a sincere motivation to be involved in biodiversity conservation and in the protection of natural resources;

Have the will and openness to work in an international and multi-cultural field;

Be resistant to stress (management of conflicts, management of unforeseen events, etc.) and be flexible around work hours;

Be organized, autonomous and rigorous in the work.

Languages - English (advanced oral, reading and comprehension skills).

In all her/his activities, she/he must be proactive, meaning that she/he must suggest improvements and adaptations. Her/his supervisor can ask for additional tasks if necessary.

This job description covers the main responsibilities inherent to this position. However, it may be required to perform other tasks than those listed above, as well as to show a great flexibility in the management of the function without being considered as a contract modification.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please email your CV and cover letter to conservation@tacugama.com in copy to aram@tacugama.com By the 30th October 2022. Please mention the position name in the subject line of the email. In case you do not hear from us within two weeks after the closing date, this means that your application was unsuccessful.

We thank you for your interest in working for TCS.

This position is for 16 months with the latest start date of 1st December 2022, international candidates are also welcome to apply.

Offre stage M2 (Tours) : nutrition, hormones et comportement

 Master 2 Internship in behavioural ecology and physiology (January-June 2023) --------- Does the nutritional status of Eupelmus vuilleti females influence their JH levels and aggressiveness during femalefemale competition for host access? Key words: nutrition, hormones, agonistic behavior, parasitoid wasps Rationale and objectives: Animal behaviours are classically mediated by hormone circulating levels, which, in turn, are driven by the individual’s nutritional status. In many insects, nutritional status influences Juvenile Hormone (JH) synthesis and thus, the level of circulating JH: eating increases the level of insulin which leads to JH production by the corpora allata. In contrast, when they are starving, JH production is no longer stimulated and circulating JH levels decrease. Nutritional status can also modulated the costs and benefits of behavioural strategies. In this context, we aim to explore the effect of nutrition (especially host-feeding) on JH production and female aggressiveness during dyadic contest for an indivisible resource (the host) in a parasitoid wasp Eupelmus vuilleti. We expect feeding (in particular sugars) to increase JH levels, which in turn will increase female aggressiveness during contest (Mathiron et al. 2019). Sugars may also increase females’ ability to fight and their capacity to sustain agonistic interactions, hence their probability of winning contest. In contrast, starved females may place a higher value in the contested resource (the host on which they can feed), what may increase their motivation, hence their probability of getting access to the resource. In this later case, we would not expect females to sustain long agonistic interactions. The main aim of this project is therefore to investigate the relative effect of host-feeding on agonistic behaviours and JH levels, and deepen our understanding of the relationships between hormones, nutritional status and agonistic behaviours. Presentation of the biological model: Eupelmus vuilleti Crawford (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) is an ectoparasitoid. Females parasitize and feed on larvae and pupae of the cowpea weevil, Callosobruchus maculatus (Fab) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae), which infest cowpea seeds, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp (Fabaceae). They can feed from and lay eggs on the same hosts. Callosobruchus maculatus hemolymph contains various nutrients: proteins, lipids, sugars (e.g. sucrose, trehalose), glycogen (Giron et al. 2002). Host-feeding increases both egg production and longevity. Injections of sucrose and trehalose at C. maculatus hemolymph concentrations directly into the parasitoid hemolymph lead to an increase in female longevity (Giron et al. 2002). They are simple sugars that can be assimilated when directly injected into the parasitoid hemolymph. The increase in fecundity is mainly determined by the amount of lipids obtained (Giron et al. 2004). It was estimated that one host-feeding event increases the lifetime by 0.3 days and allows the production of 1.5 eggs (Giron et al. 2004). Moreover, it has been shown that JH-supplemented E. vuilleti females (via an injection) are more aggressive when fighting for hosts against intraspecific competitors than control females supplemented with vehicle (Mathiron et al. 2019). Methods: Behavioural observations, micro-injections, dissections, chemical extractions. Location: IRBI UMR 7261 CNRS – Université de Tours, Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Tours To apply, please contact Marlène Goubault (marlene.goubault@univ-tours.fr ) & Charlotte Lécureuil (charlotte.lecureuil@univ-tours.fr) before the 24th of October. We will be happy to read your CV and motivation letter. Please provide the name of two references, and if possible one appreciation letter. References: Mathiron AGE, Earley RL & Goubault M. 2019. Juvenile hormone manipulation affects female reproductive status and aggressiveness in a non-social parasitoid wasp. General and Comparative Endocrinology 274: 80-86 Giron D, Rivero A, Mandon N & Casas J. 2002. The physiology of host feeding in parasitic wasps: implications for survival. Functional Ecology 16: 750–757 Giron D, Pincebourde S & Casas J. 2004. Lifetime gains of host-feeding in a synovigenic parasitic wasp. Physiological Entomology 29: 436–442

Offre de thèse financée

 Announcement of a funded joint PhD between the Universities of Pisa (Italy) and Rennes (France)

 

Supervisors:

Professor Elisabetta Palagi (elisabetta.palagi@unipi.it) – Dept. Biology, Unit of Ethology, University of Pisa (Italy)

Professor Alban Lemasson (alban.lemasson@univ-rennes1.fr) – Animal and Human ethology Unit, Université of Rennes 1 (France)

PhD topic: Exploring the origins of empathy in primates with an ethological approach

The concept of empathy embraces two main aspects: the sharing of emotions (emotional empathy) and the adoption of another’s viewpoint (cognitive empathy). Empathy allows the individual to quickly relate to the states of others, which is essential for the regulation of social interactions, coordinated activity, and cooperation toward shared goals. Nonhuman primates provide a critical window through which we can explore the evolutionary origins of human empathy and, possibly, identify its uniqueness. Mirroring mechanisms such as behavioural contagion and mimicry are good indicators of the ability of individuals to emotionally resonate with others. More studies are now needed to better understand the role of multimodal communication in improving emotion recognition and regulation abilities. Yawn contagion, rapid mimicry and contact call exchanges are ideal behavioural candidates to accomplish the goal because they involve both visual and acoustic cues. To fill the gap, we aim at studying this intriguing aspect by both experimental and naturalistic approaches by implementing and integrating different ethological techniques. By comparing species that are phylogenetically close but socially varied (e.g. red-capped mangabeys and gelada baboons), we can also explore the evolutionary role of social life in regulating the emotions of self and others.

 

Beginning of the PhD: early November 2022 - Duration: 3 years

 

Online registration before 17/10/2022 13h (Italian time): https://dottorato.unipi.it/index.php/it/concorsi-d-ammissione-a-a-2022-2023/item/698.html

 

Audition of successful candidates: 24/10/2022 (videoconference)

 

For more details about the project and about the doctoral competition (English version soon available):

https://alboufficiale.unipi.it/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/bandocompleto_c.pdf