Development and evolution of cerebral lateralisation: Fishes as model organisms
Macquarie University is offering a PhD scholarship to international or Australian student to work on the above research topic in the Department of Biological Sciences starting 2008. The research will be conducted under the supervision of Dr Culum Brown (http://www.bio.mq.edu.au/beef/) and will comprise a mixture of lab and field based experiments. The research is supported by the ARC.
The project:
Cerebral lateralisation refers to the functional partitioning of information processing between the two hemispheres of the brain and is often overtly expressed as lateralised behavioural traits such as handedness. Previous research has focussed on the neural mechanisms behind cerebral lateralisation, yet surprisingly little is known about its function and the fitness benefits it may provide animals in their natural environments. This project will address these questions by examining the development and function of lateralisation using an evolutionary approach.
The research will determine the relative costs and benefits associated with cerebral lateralisation in the day to day lives of fishes occupying a range of natural environments and, in doing so, identify its ecological correlates and phylogenetic constraints. This research will address fundamental questions pertaining to the evolution of cognition in vertebrates using Australian rainbowfish as a model.
The candidate:
The student for this program of research will have a background in behavioural ecology or comparative psychology. Experience working with fishes is preferential.
A first class honours degree (or equivalent) is required for enrolment in the PhD program at Macquarie University.
Some evidence of publication is desirable.
Further reading:
Brown, C., Western, J. and Braithwaite, V.A. (2007) The influence of early experience on, and inheritance of, cerebral lateralization. Animal Behaviour, 74, 231-238.
Brown, C. (2005) Cerebral lateralisation; Social constraints and coordinated antipredator responses. Behavioural and Brain Sciences, 28(4), 591-592.
Brown, C., Gardner, G. and Braithwaite, V.A. (2004) Population variation in lateralised eye use in the poeciliid Brachyraphis episcopi. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B (suppl), 271, S455–S457.
Contact:
Dr Culum Brown cbrown@bio.mq.edu.au for more information
Macquarie University is offering a PhD scholarship to international or Australian student to work on the above research topic in the Department of Biological Sciences starting 2008. The research will be conducted under the supervision of Dr Culum Brown (http://www.bio.mq.edu.au/beef/) and will comprise a mixture of lab and field based experiments. The research is supported by the ARC.
The project:
Cerebral lateralisation refers to the functional partitioning of information processing between the two hemispheres of the brain and is often overtly expressed as lateralised behavioural traits such as handedness. Previous research has focussed on the neural mechanisms behind cerebral lateralisation, yet surprisingly little is known about its function and the fitness benefits it may provide animals in their natural environments. This project will address these questions by examining the development and function of lateralisation using an evolutionary approach.
The research will determine the relative costs and benefits associated with cerebral lateralisation in the day to day lives of fishes occupying a range of natural environments and, in doing so, identify its ecological correlates and phylogenetic constraints. This research will address fundamental questions pertaining to the evolution of cognition in vertebrates using Australian rainbowfish as a model.
The candidate:
The student for this program of research will have a background in behavioural ecology or comparative psychology. Experience working with fishes is preferential.
A first class honours degree (or equivalent) is required for enrolment in the PhD program at Macquarie University.
Some evidence of publication is desirable.
Further reading:
Brown, C., Western, J. and Braithwaite, V.A. (2007) The influence of early experience on, and inheritance of, cerebral lateralization. Animal Behaviour, 74, 231-238.
Brown, C. (2005) Cerebral lateralisation; Social constraints and coordinated antipredator responses. Behavioural and Brain Sciences, 28(4), 591-592.
Brown, C., Gardner, G. and Braithwaite, V.A. (2004) Population variation in lateralised eye use in the poeciliid Brachyraphis episcopi. Proc. Roy. Soc. Lond. B (suppl), 271, S455–S457.
Contact:
Dr Culum Brown cbrown@bio.mq.edu.au for more information