Hiring Organization:Kakamega Monkey Project, Kenya (based at Columbia University)
Date Posted:2009-10-19
Position Description:Field assistant/manager needed to participate for 12 months in long-term research project on the social behavior of blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis) in a rain forest in western Kenya (Kakamega Forest). Current research focus is on cooperation among adult females with their group-mates, including grooming, feeding tolerance, and joining in territorial defense against neighboring groups, and variation in such behavior as a function of group size. Person will act as field manager of the project: duties include (1) collecting behavioral and baseline life history data through observation (and occasional fecal samples), (2) conducting daily data entry and quality control in early morning, evenings and possibly at other times, (3) overseeing local staff of up to 4, and (4) being responsible for regular (typically 3-5x per week) email communication with Principal Investigator, as well as general trouble-shooting. All project personnel share in item (1) above, whereas the remaining items are special tasks of the field manager.Data collection presumes learning (i) to recognize about 150 individual animals in 6 habituated social groups, (ii) the behavioral repertoire of the species, and (iii) the coding scheme. Data collection into notebooks or onto data sheets includes ad libitum records, systematic focal animal follows of individual adult females, and all-occurrences sampling of aggressive intergroup encounters. Data entry and management require comfortable familiarity with Excel, Word and computers generally, and facility with attending to detail. Ability to speak and write clearly and correctly in fluent English is a must. Candidate will be trained on site by experienced field personnel and PI, and is expected to manage the study on his/her own most of the year. Possibly, the job will be shared, pending identification of two suitable candidates. The PI will be on site during a portion of Summer 2010. We may train a local assistant to assist with some of the organizational duties, but the field manager is ultimately in charge. This is a teamwork-oriented position, and the ability to work closely with others, as well as to take the lead when necessary, is critical. Some participation with a local conservation education group may also be part of the work.Great opportunity for someone wishing to gain field research experience in a serious way (you will get your feet wet, both literally and figuratively!), including taking on a position of serious responsibility. Animals are well habituated, so the monkey watching is excellent for a forested environment. The Kakamega Forest has a very high diversity of birds as well, plus all the other creatures (plants, insects, snakes, etc) that one would expect to find. This project has a long history of working successfully with field assistants, and can provide references to serious candidates. Nearly all prior field assistants have moved on to graduate school or other research positions.Check out websites at: http://www.columbia.edu/~mc51/web-pages/Research.html http://www.keeporg.cjb.net/
Qualifications/Experience:Applicants must have completed an undergraduate university degree with focused studies in relevant areas of science.In addition, two kinds of relevant EXPERIENCE are mandatory: first, some kind of significant foreign travel or living experience, preferably to/in a developing country (and ideally in the tropics), and second, some experience working on a scientific research project (i.e. collecting and working systematically with data), ideally an observational/behavioral project, and even more ideally in the field. Interest in mammalian behavior, and relevant course work (animal behavior, primate behavior) is presumed.In addition, applicant must have certain QUALITIES: s/he must be energetic, patient, open, responsible, flexible, healthy, able to work independently but also as part of a team, and highly motivated. Applicant must also be hardworking and able to keep going, and cheerfully! Our schedule is demanding and unconventional (3 days work, 1 day off), up to 9 hrs field time per day (less during rainy season), approximately 1 hour per evening and 1.5 hrs per morning (on average) for data collation and processing, and 3 weeks off (in 2-3 chunks, not all at once) over the year. The position is not ideal for someone who needs a lot of personal time, nor for someone who easily feels lonely. The ideal applicant must be comfortable being unplugged and far away from easy communication with the "outside world"(mobile phone and modem-based email possible, but sometimes things just don't work!), and comfortable with other conditions and risks that are simply part of tropical fieldwork (such as limited healthcare, monotonous diet, rare confrontations with noxious plants or animals). This is very intense work -- if your main goal is not gaining scientific research experience, you will probably not be happy in this position. Non-smoker preferred. Fluent English and accurate touch-typing (i.e., without having to look at the keys)is mandatory.Evidence of the above qualifications must be presented as part of application (see below for further details).2-3 references will be required. These cannot be from personal friends or family. It is not necessary to provide reference reports on initial application, but please include referees' names and contact information.
Salary/funding:This is a largely volunteer position at present, although PI will provide a small allowance that will cover most basic expenses for modest lifestyle at field site. Not covered are travel, holiday expenses, and costs (about $400) for securing permits, visas etc. Candidates expected to provide own rubber boots, rain gear (poncho, umbrella) and field clothing, and health and medical emergency insurance coverage.
Support provided for internship/volunteer positions (travel, meals, lodging):Reasonably comfortable housing will be provided at the field site (small house in forest station village, solar power for lights, laptop, and battery charging, but no major appliances, limited running rain water). Binoculars can also be provided if needed.
Term of Appointment:Beginning approximately June 1, 2010 for 12 months; longer appointment is negotiable
Application Deadline:Rolling applications, so as long as this posting is up, the position has not been filled
Comments:Interested persons should make contact via email initially. Please send a copy of your application to mc51@columbia.edu, and use "YOURNAME 2010 Field Manager" in the subject line (for example, "Mary Smith 2009 Field Manager". Your application should consist of ONE document (attachment) with ALL relevant information (and your last name as the first word in the title, e.g. Smith_2009_Field_Manager_application.pdf). PDF documents preferred. In this document, please describe your experience, why you are interested in the position and how it fits into your life plans at this time, and how you fit the qualifications listed above (under Qualifications). You may include a CV, but please attach this to your narrative.
Contact Information:Marina Cords1200 Amsterdam Avenue, 10th floorNew York, NY 10027USA
Telephone Number:212 854 7337
Fax Number:212 854 8188
Website:http://www.columbia.edu/~mc51/
E-mail Address:mc51@columbia.edu
Date Posted:2009-10-19
Position Description:Field assistant/manager needed to participate for 12 months in long-term research project on the social behavior of blue monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis) in a rain forest in western Kenya (Kakamega Forest). Current research focus is on cooperation among adult females with their group-mates, including grooming, feeding tolerance, and joining in territorial defense against neighboring groups, and variation in such behavior as a function of group size. Person will act as field manager of the project: duties include (1) collecting behavioral and baseline life history data through observation (and occasional fecal samples), (2) conducting daily data entry and quality control in early morning, evenings and possibly at other times, (3) overseeing local staff of up to 4, and (4) being responsible for regular (typically 3-5x per week) email communication with Principal Investigator, as well as general trouble-shooting. All project personnel share in item (1) above, whereas the remaining items are special tasks of the field manager.Data collection presumes learning (i) to recognize about 150 individual animals in 6 habituated social groups, (ii) the behavioral repertoire of the species, and (iii) the coding scheme. Data collection into notebooks or onto data sheets includes ad libitum records, systematic focal animal follows of individual adult females, and all-occurrences sampling of aggressive intergroup encounters. Data entry and management require comfortable familiarity with Excel, Word and computers generally, and facility with attending to detail. Ability to speak and write clearly and correctly in fluent English is a must. Candidate will be trained on site by experienced field personnel and PI, and is expected to manage the study on his/her own most of the year. Possibly, the job will be shared, pending identification of two suitable candidates. The PI will be on site during a portion of Summer 2010. We may train a local assistant to assist with some of the organizational duties, but the field manager is ultimately in charge. This is a teamwork-oriented position, and the ability to work closely with others, as well as to take the lead when necessary, is critical. Some participation with a local conservation education group may also be part of the work.Great opportunity for someone wishing to gain field research experience in a serious way (you will get your feet wet, both literally and figuratively!), including taking on a position of serious responsibility. Animals are well habituated, so the monkey watching is excellent for a forested environment. The Kakamega Forest has a very high diversity of birds as well, plus all the other creatures (plants, insects, snakes, etc) that one would expect to find. This project has a long history of working successfully with field assistants, and can provide references to serious candidates. Nearly all prior field assistants have moved on to graduate school or other research positions.Check out websites at: http://www.columbia.edu/~mc51/web-pages/Research.html http://www.keeporg.cjb.net/
Qualifications/Experience:Applicants must have completed an undergraduate university degree with focused studies in relevant areas of science.In addition, two kinds of relevant EXPERIENCE are mandatory: first, some kind of significant foreign travel or living experience, preferably to/in a developing country (and ideally in the tropics), and second, some experience working on a scientific research project (i.e. collecting and working systematically with data), ideally an observational/behavioral project, and even more ideally in the field. Interest in mammalian behavior, and relevant course work (animal behavior, primate behavior) is presumed.In addition, applicant must have certain QUALITIES: s/he must be energetic, patient, open, responsible, flexible, healthy, able to work independently but also as part of a team, and highly motivated. Applicant must also be hardworking and able to keep going, and cheerfully! Our schedule is demanding and unconventional (3 days work, 1 day off), up to 9 hrs field time per day (less during rainy season), approximately 1 hour per evening and 1.5 hrs per morning (on average) for data collation and processing, and 3 weeks off (in 2-3 chunks, not all at once) over the year. The position is not ideal for someone who needs a lot of personal time, nor for someone who easily feels lonely. The ideal applicant must be comfortable being unplugged and far away from easy communication with the "outside world"(mobile phone and modem-based email possible, but sometimes things just don't work!), and comfortable with other conditions and risks that are simply part of tropical fieldwork (such as limited healthcare, monotonous diet, rare confrontations with noxious plants or animals). This is very intense work -- if your main goal is not gaining scientific research experience, you will probably not be happy in this position. Non-smoker preferred. Fluent English and accurate touch-typing (i.e., without having to look at the keys)is mandatory.Evidence of the above qualifications must be presented as part of application (see below for further details).2-3 references will be required. These cannot be from personal friends or family. It is not necessary to provide reference reports on initial application, but please include referees' names and contact information.
Salary/funding:This is a largely volunteer position at present, although PI will provide a small allowance that will cover most basic expenses for modest lifestyle at field site. Not covered are travel, holiday expenses, and costs (about $400) for securing permits, visas etc. Candidates expected to provide own rubber boots, rain gear (poncho, umbrella) and field clothing, and health and medical emergency insurance coverage.
Support provided for internship/volunteer positions (travel, meals, lodging):Reasonably comfortable housing will be provided at the field site (small house in forest station village, solar power for lights, laptop, and battery charging, but no major appliances, limited running rain water). Binoculars can also be provided if needed.
Term of Appointment:Beginning approximately June 1, 2010 for 12 months; longer appointment is negotiable
Application Deadline:Rolling applications, so as long as this posting is up, the position has not been filled
Comments:Interested persons should make contact via email initially. Please send a copy of your application to mc51@columbia.edu, and use "YOURNAME 2010 Field Manager" in the subject line (for example, "Mary Smith 2009 Field Manager". Your application should consist of ONE document (attachment) with ALL relevant information (and your last name as the first word in the title, e.g. Smith_2009_Field_Manager_application.pdf). PDF documents preferred. In this document, please describe your experience, why you are interested in the position and how it fits into your life plans at this time, and how you fit the qualifications listed above (under Qualifications). You may include a CV, but please attach this to your narrative.
Contact Information:Marina Cords1200 Amsterdam Avenue, 10th floorNew York, NY 10027USA
Telephone Number:212 854 7337
Fax Number:212 854 8188
Website:http://www.columbia.edu/~mc51/
E-mail Address:mc51@columbia.edu