PhD

Name of the supervisor
Professor S Baker, Institute of Neuroscience
Sponsor
Wellcome Trust
Duaration of the award
Four years (MRes + PhD)

Programme description

The Wellcome Trust’s four-year PhD Studentship Programmes are a flagship scheme aimed at supporting the most promising students to undertake in-depth postgraduate research training. The first year combines taught courses with laboratory rotations to broaden students’ knowledge of the subject area. At the end of the first year, students will make an informed choice of their three-year PhD research project.
This programme is based at Newcastle University and is aimed to provide specialised training for physical and computational scientists (e.g. physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, and computer science) wishing to apply their skills to a research neuroscience career.
For more information on the programme please visit our website: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/ion/study/wellcome/

Value of the award and eligibility

Support includes a stipend for four years (higher than research council rate), PhD registration fees at UK/EU student rate, research expenses, general training funds and some travel costs.

Person specification

Applicants should have, or expect to obtain, a first-class or upper-second-class Honours degree, or equivalent, in a physical sciences, engineering, mathematics or computing degree.

How to apply

You must apply through the university's online postgraduate application form selecting 'Master of Research/Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Sciences) - Neuroscience' as the programme of study. Once you have selected the programme, please insert the studentship/partnership reference number IN065. Only mandatory fields need to be completed (no personal statement required) and a covering letter, CV and (if English is not your first language) a copy of your English language qualifications must be attached. The covering letter must state the title of the studentship, quote the reference number IN065 and state how your interests and experience relate to the project.
The closing date for applications is the 15th of January 2014

Further information

For further information, please contact:
Helen Stewart
Institute of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medical Sciences
Henry Wellcome Building
Newcastle University
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE2 4HH
Email: ion-postgrad-enq@ncl.ac.uk

Stage Discover

POSTDOC: MULTITROPHIC INTERACTIONS IN DOMESTICATED AND WILD SYSTEMS,OF MAIZE AND BEANS.

A 2-year Postdoc position is available to study the consequences of parasitoid-mediated apparent competition between herbivores of maize and lima bean in Mexico.

Qualifications: A Ph.D. in entomology, ecology or a related field, as well as experience with fieldwork is required. The candidate should be self-motivated and capable of conducting independent lab and fieldwork. A period of 3-4 months per year will be spent conducting fieldwork in Mexico and supervising Master students. Review of applications will begin Nov. 15, 2013, and continue until a suitable applicant has been found.

The University of Neuchatel (Switzerland) offers highly competitive working conditions, state-of-the-art facilities, and ample opportunity to interact with

other scientists. The working language in our research groups is English, but some knowledge of Spanish and/or French would be a plus. Neuchātel is beautifully located at the foothills of the Jura mountain range, overlooking the lake of Neuchātel and the Swiss Alps.

Starting date: April 1st 2014.

The project will be conducted in the context of an on-going collaboration between the laboratory of Evolutionary Entomology (Betty Benrey) and the laboratory of Fundamental and Applied Research in Chemical Ecology (Ted Turlings).

For information on our research groups visit:

http://www2.unine.ch/evol/page-6423_en.html

http://www2.unine.ch/farce/lang/en/farce

Applications should be sent by email to: betty.benrey@unine.ch

Please send with your application a letter of motivation, CV, and names

and contact information of at least two persons who can provide references.

Stage 2013/2014 Master 2

"Développement cérébral et cognitif de l’embryon de seiche"

Contexte & Problématique :

Depuis la croyance selon laquelle les organismes nouveau-nés naissaient vierges de toute expérience (tabula rasa), les recherches n’ont eu de cesse de montrer l’importance cruciale de l’expérience sensorielle fœtal/embryonnaire sur le développement comportemental et cognitif des jeunes. En effet, des insectes aux primates non-humains en passant par les poissons et les oiseaux, de nombreuses études ont montré qu’une simple exposition à un stimulus (olfactif, auditif, visuel) avait des conséquences sur l’orientation des préférences post-natales. De plus, la perception d’odeurs indiquant la présence d’un prédateur pendant le développement embryonnaire modifie l’activité et le comportement de recherche d’un abri (Mathis et al. 2008).

Chez la seiche Sepia officinalis, nous avons récemment montré que la mise en place des systèmes sensoriels au cours du développement embryonnaire suivait au moins partiellement la même séquence que celle des vertébrés (Romagny et al. 2012). Ainsi, les embryons répondent d’abord à des stimuli chimiques (stade 23) puis visuels (stade 25). La perception visuelle de crabes avant l’éclosion induit ensuite chez les jeunes seiches une préférence pour cette proie (Darmaillacq et al. 2008).

Le stage consistera à analyser les réponses des embryons (données déjà collectées) à des odeurs de prédateurs soumis à différents régimes alimentaires afin de déterminer s’ils sont capables de reconnaître une menace de façon innée à l’instar d’individus de nombreux taxons. Cette exposition chimique pouvant être assimilée à un événement stressant, un autre volet du stage visera à étudier la réponse à un stimulus aversif d’embryons « stressés » ou témoins. Enfin, le développement du cerveau chez la seiche étant largement inexploré, la dernière partie du sujet concerne la description anatomique du cerveau de l’embryon prélevé à deux stades embryonnaires différents (stade 25 et 30).

Le stage sera encadré par Anne-Sophie Darmaillacq. Selon les besoins et les approvisionnements en œufs de seiches, des réplicas des expériences déjà faites pourront être envisagés à la station marine de Luc sur mer.

Lieu & Durée du stage : GMPc, Caen pour les analyses vidéos et la partie neurohistologique et station marine de Luc-sur-mer pour les études comportementales.

Qualités requises : Sérieux, minutie, initiative et autonomie.

Contact : envoyer lettre de motivation et CV (avec références à contacter) à Anne-Sophie Darmaillacq, Maître de Conférences à l’Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, Groupe Mémoire et Plasticité comportementale, anne-sophie.darmaillacq@unicaen.fr (02.31.56.68.79)

Une possibilité d’hébergement à la station marine est offerte au tarif de 97€ par mois.

Meeting

It is our great pleasure to announce that call for abstracts for the 10th “Ecology and Behaviour” Meeting, to be held in Montpellier (France) from the 12^th to the 16^th of May 2014 is now open.

This international conference aims at promoting the scientific communication of young researchers (PhD students, post-docs). It takes place each year in a different town in France, usually gathers over 100 participants from all over Europe, and its success demonstrates the quality of communications that are presented.

Six sessions have been defined for the 10^th EB meeting: Conservation Biology and Behaviour ; Intra-specific Interactions and Sociality ; Movement Ecology ; Biodiversity Patterns and Habitats ; Sex ; Inter-specific Interactions.

To facilitate the participation of PhD students and post-docs, the AREB (Association des Rencontres "Ecology & Behaviour ", previously known as the SERL) takes care of the housing and lunches of people presenting their work (a 10 minutes oral communication with 5 minutes for questions, or a poster, within the limit of one author per communication) for all the duration of the conference, for free for PhD students, and at an affordable cost for post-docs.

Abstract submission :

Deadline for abstract submission is 15th January 2014.

We invite you to submit your abstract for poster or oral communication on our website : http://eb2014.sciencesconf.org/

Further information :

Our website (eb2014.sciencesconf.org) is regularly updated and contains details on abstract submission, inscription to the conference, invited speakers and practical information.

Should you require further information or assistance, please contact us at eb2014@sciencesconf.org.

Do not hesitate to forward this message to anyone who may be interested in the 10th edition of the "Ecology & Behaviour" meeting.

We are looking forward to welcoming you to Montpellier in May 2014.

Sincerely,

the Organizing Committee

-----------------------------------------------------------------

C’est avec plaisir que nous vous annonçons le lancement de l’appel à contribution pour la 10ème conférence “Ecology and Behaviour” qui aura lieu cette année à Montpellier (France) du 12 au 16 mai 2014.

Cette conférence anglophone est destinée à promouvoir la communication scientifique de jeunes chercheurs (doctorants, post-doctorants), et s'intéresse à l'écologie scientifique, la biologie évolutive, et les comportements animaux. Elle réunit chaque année une centaine de participants venant de toute l’Europe, et le succès des précédentes éditions témoigne de la qualité des communications qui y sont présentées.

Six sessions thématiques ont été définies pour cette 10^ème édition : Biologie de la conservation et Comportement ; Interactions intra-spécifiques et Socialité ; Patrons de biodiversité et habitats ; Ecologie du déplacement ; Interactions inter-spécifiques ; Sexe.

Afin de faciliter la participation des doctorants et post-doctorants à cette conférence, l'AREB (Association des Rencontres " Ecology & Behaviour ", anciennement appelée la SERL) organise et prend en charge l’hébergement et les repas de midi des personnes qui présentent leur travail (un poster ou un exposé de 10 minutes plus 5 minutes pour les questions, dans la limite d’un auteur par communication) pour toute la durée de la conférence, gratuitement pour les doctorants, et pour un coût réduit pour les post-doctorants.

Soumettre un résumé :

La date limite pour soumettre une proposition de contribution est fixée au 15 Janvier 2014.

Nous vous invitons à soumettre votre résumé de poster ou d’exposé sur notre site internet :

http://eb2014.sciencesconf.org/

Informations complémentaires :

Le site internet d’Ecology and Behaviour 2014 (eb2014.sciencesconf.org) est mis à jour régulièrement et contient tous les renseignements nécessaires à la soumission de résumé, à l'inscription à la conférence, et les précisions sur le programme, les chercheurs invités, le lieu d'hébergement, etc.

Pour toute information supplémentaire dont vous auriez besoin, n’hésitez pas à nous contacter à l’adresse suivante: eb2014@sciencesconf.org.

N’hésitez pas à transférer ce message à toute personne susceptible d’être intéressée par les 10èmes Rencontres « Ecology and Behaviour ».

Nous sommes impatients de vous accueillir à Montpellier en mai 2014 pour cette 10ème conférence!

Cordialement,

le comité d’organisation

Graduate Position: Community genetics and reproductive behaviour, University of St Andrews

Graduate Position: A community genetics approach to understanding tri-trophic interactions in agricultural ecosystems.

Supervisors: Dr David Shuker (University of St Andrews) and Dr Ali Karley (James Hutton Institute)

A four-year fully funded  PhD studentship is now available in the field of community genetics, behavour and ecology.

The project will explore how the behaviour of the parasitic wasp Aphidius ervi is influenced by the genetics of its host (the potato aphid Macrosiphum euphorbiae) and also by the genetics of the aphid’s host (the potato Solanum tuberosum). The reproductive decisions made by parasitic wasps can influence their success as biological control agents against pests such as aphids. The project will explore the genetic basis of sex allocation and oviposition in Aphidius ervi, exploring both within- and between-species genetic effects. There will also be opportunities to explore the basis of sex determination in this species, and to develop new behavioural or genetic methods for studying sex allocation in multi-trophic systems in the lab and the wild. For further details of the project please visit:

http://www.findaphd.com/search/ProjectDetails.aspx?PJID=49034&LID=1443

This studentship opportunity will be co-funded by the BBSRC (as part of the EASTBIO Doctoral Training Partnership) and the James Hutton Institute. The position will be filled following a competitive interview process in which the best candidates applying across a range of different projects will be offered studentship positions. Candidates should have (or expect to achieve) a First Class Honours degree and/or an excellent postgraduate qualification in a relevant subject. The project is a collaboration between our lab and Ali Karley at the JHI. For further details please see the findaphd.com advert or drop Dave Shuker an email (david.shuker@st-andrews.ac.uk).

Applications need to be made via the School of Biology’s post-grad recruitment website but I strongly recommend getting in touch first (providing an up-to-date CV and also some thoughts on why this project is of interest to you). The application deadline is 27th January 2014.

***************************************************************

Dr David M Shuker

Senior Lecturer in Behavioural Ecology

School of Biology

University of St Andrews

St Andrews KY16 9TH

United Kingdom

Email: david.shuker@st-andrews.ac.uk

Tel: +44 1334 463376

Fax: +44 1334 463366

Web: http://insects.st-andrews.ac.uk

Offre de Stage Eté 2014 – Dispersion natale chez le lézard vivipare (Zootoca vivipara) – Moulis (09)

Description

La dispersion des individus du site natal au site de reproduction ou entre sites de reproduction est un des processus fondamentaux qui participent à la dynamique des populations. Dans un contexte de fragmentation croissante des habitats, la dispersion peut avoir un impact crucial pour la persistance des petites populations, permettant de recoloniser des habitats où les sous-populations sont éteintes. Or tous les individus ne dispersent pas, et tous ne dispersent pas de la même manière, ce qui peut affecter la dynamique des métapopulations. La décision de disperser dépend du phénotype individuel, en interaction avec les conditions environnementales.

Notre équipe travaille sur le comportement de dispersion natale des lézards vivipares (Zootoca vivipara). Nous travaillons dans le métatron, un dispositif unique d’enclos semi-naturels reliés par des corridors simulant le fonctionnement de métapopulations. Nous étudions les choix de dispersion individuels en fonction du phénotype et des conditions environnementales subies par les individus. Les lézards sont libérés au printemps dans le métatron dans des enclos de différentes conditions thermiques. Nous suivons la dispersion des juvéniles chaque jour durant l’été.

Nous recherchons des stagiaires pour mener à bien ces tâches, pour un à deux mois sur la période mai-août 2013. Selon la période et les intérêts personnels, les stagiaires pourront participer aux différentes tâches relatives à notre expérience. Nous recherchons des gens motivés pour participer aux élevages, pour faire des expériences de comportement animal (ainsi que des analyses vidéos) ou encore pour identifier les insectes présents au métatron. Chaque stagiaire aura une activité principale selon les besoins et ses envies, mais pourra participer à des tâches annexes si l’occasion se présente.

Mission du (de la) stagiaire :

Selon la période, le (la) stagiaire pourra participer à différentes activités :

- participation aux captures de lézards (mai)

- élevage des lézards en laboratoire, suivi des naissances (mai-juillet)

- expériences de comportement (tests d’exploration, de sociabilité, de préférences thermiques) (mai-juillet)

- analyse de vidéos de comportement (juin à août)

- relevés de dispersion (juillet-août)

- tâches annexes selon les besoins (relevés de plantes et d’insectes, entretien du métatron…)

Le (la) stagiaire pourra acquérir des connaissances pratiques en analyse comportementale, ainsi que des notions d’élevage de reptiles et de travail de terrain.

Localisation : Station d’Ecologie Expérimentale du CNRS à Moulis, (Ariège, Midi-Pyrénées).

Période de stage : un à deux mois entre mai et août 2014.

Stage non rémunéré, mais possibilité de loger sur place.

Profil du (de la) candidat(e) :

Bac+3 ou Bac+4 : Etudiant(e) en biologie/écologie

Intérêt pour l’écologie comportementale, ou pour l’entomologie ou la botanique

Goût du travail de terrain

Candidature

envoyez un CV et une lettre de motivation par mail à Elvire Bestion

elvire.bestion@ecoex-moulis.cnrs.fr

SENIOR RESEARCHER in Biological Conservation of Vertebrates

Tour du Valat is a private research foundation dedicated to research and conservation of Mediterranean wetlands. It was founded in the Camargue in 1954 by Dr Luc Hoffmann and has been a pioneer in a range of fields: multidisciplinary research, building bridges between science, management and public policies, management plans,… It has developed a level of scientific expertise internationally recognised and which provides practical responses to conservation issues. It has catalysed the formation of partnerships at the local, national and international levels. Based on a 2600 ha estate it provides extensive laboratory and office facilities in the heart of a rich variety of wetland and other Mediterranean habitats. Tour du Valat research team works in close cooperation with several national and international research centres notably neighbouring teams at Montpellier, and Marseille universities and CNRS, with the Edward Grey Institute (Oxford), the Donana Biological Station (CSIC, Sevilla), etc.

Further details of the Tour du Valat can be found at: http://www.tourduvalat.org/ The Tour du Valat comprises approximately 60 staff including 10 senior research fellows and 10

graduate students.

Tour du Valat is looking for a senior scientist for developing its research and conservation programme.

The primary duties will be to develop a research programme in an area that covers and/or complements the current research interests of the Species Department at the Tour du Valat foundation.

The objective of this department is to find solutions to conservation problems involving Mediterranean wetland species, including both threatened and problem species. Its conservation objectives are based first and foremost on scientific knowledges, involving both the direct running of entire research projects and the transfer and application of information produced by the scientific world in general.

In particular, applications from individuals with research interests in the following areas are welcomed:

1. Population ecology of birds, with a particular emphasis on long-term studies of individually marked birds in a meta-population context. Tour du Valat has a tradition of research in population biology of birds, and maintains large data sets relating to individual life-histories in several species of land and waterbirds.

2. Ecological health:

Zoonoses and the role of Mediterranean wetland species in their epidemiology. Effect of treatments (antiparasitics, antibiotics, antivectors, etc.) on the wildlife of Mediterranean wetlands. Impact of pathogens on the dynamics of Mediterranean Wetlands species

The successful candidate will possess:

A doctoral degree in an appropriate subject. A strong track-record of research and fund raising for research. At least 7 years experience in research and team management. A clear interest in applied research and conservation.

Expertise in modelling and experience in Mediterranean countries will be a plus.

Salary:depending on experience and starting date to be agreed (the position is available immediately).

Duty station: Tour du Valat, Camargue, France. Starting date: as soon as possible after 1 February 2014.

How to apply:

Please send application to daubigney@tourduvalat.org (ref: TdV-2013-SR) by 31 December 2013: · a covering letter; · a curriculum vitae; · a list of publications;

· an outline of the proposed programme of research (2 pages max); · the names and contact details, including email addresses, of three referees, including one recent

employer.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for interview in January 2014. They will be invited to give a short presentation on their research and research plans to the selection committee. Interview expenses will be reimbursed.

Any queries about the application process may be addressed to Florence Daubigney daubigney@tourduvalat.org.

Cette entrée a été publiée dans Offres le 23 novembre 2013 par isabelle. 

POSTE de CHERCHEUR CONSERVATION/JUNIOR RESEARCHER Conservation

Tour du Valat is a private research foundation dedicated to research and conservation of Mediterranean wetlands. It was founded in the Camargue in 1954 by Dr Luc Hoffmann and has been a pioneer in a range of fields: multidisciplinary research, building bridges between science, management and public policies, management plans,… It has developed a level of scientific expertise internationally recognised and which provides practical responses to conservation issues. It has catalysed the formation of partnerships at the local, national and international levels. Based on a 2600 ha estate it provides extensive laboratory and office facilities in the heart of a rich variety of wetland and other Mediterranean habitats. Tour du Valat research team works in close cooperation with several national and international research centres notably neighbouring teams at Montpellier, and Marseille universities and CNRS, with the Edward Grey Institute (Oxford), the Donana Biological Station (CSIC, Sevilla), etc.

Further details of the Tour du Valat can be found at: http://www.tourduvalat.org/ The Tour du Valat comprises approximately 60 staff including 10 senior research fellows and 10

graduate students.

Tour du Valat is looking for a junior scientist for developing its research and conservation programme.

The primary duties will be to develop a research programme in an area that covers and/or complements the current research interests of the Species Department at the Tour du Valat foundation.

The objective of this department is to find solutions to conservation problems involving Mediterranean wetland species, including both threatened and problem species. Its conservation objectives are based first and foremost on scientific knowledges, involving both the direct running of entire research projects and the transfer and application of information produced by the scientific world in general.

In particular, applications from individuals with research interests in the following areas are welcomed:

(i) Population ecology of birds, with a particular emphasis on long-term studies of individually marked birds in a meta-population context. Tour du Valat has a tradition of research in population biology of birds, and maintains large data sets relating to individual life- histories in several species of land- and waterbirds.

(ii) Ecological health: – Zoonoses and the role of Mediterranean wetland species in their epidemiology – Effect of treatments (antiparasitics, antibiotics, antivectors, etc.) on the wildlife of Mediterranean wetlands – Impact of pathogens on the dynamics of Mediterranean Wetlands species

The successful candidate will possess: (1) A doctoral degree in an appropriate subject (2) A strong track-record of research (3) A clear interest in applied research and conservation

Expertise in modelling and experience in Mediterranean countries will be a plus. Duty station: Tour du Valat, Camargue, France Salary: depending on experience. Starting date: to be agreed.

Centre de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Fondation reconnue d’utilité publique

TOUR DU VALAT – Le Sambuc – 13200 Arles – France Tél. +33 (0) 4 90 97 20 13 – Fax +33 (0) 4 90 97 20 19 – E-mail : secretariat@tourduvalat.org – www.tourduvalat.org

How to apply:

Please send application to daubigney@tourduvalat.org (ref: TdV-2013-JR) before 31 December 2013. · a covering letter · a curriculum vitae · a list of publications

· an outline of the proposed programme of research (2 pages max) · the names and contact details, including email addresses, of three referees, , including one recent

employer.

Short-listed candidates will be invited for interview in January 2014. They will be invited to give a short presentation on their research and research plans to the selection committee. Interview expenses will be reimbursed, and overnight accommodation can be offered if required.

Any queries about the application process may be addressed to Florence Daubigney daubigney@tourduvalat.org.

Centre de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Fondation reconnue d’utilité publique

TOUR DU VALAT – Le Sambuc – 13200 Arles – France Tél. +33 (0) 4 90 97 20 13 – Fax +33 (0) 4 90 97 20 19 – E-mail : secretariat@tourduvalat.org – www.tourduvalat.org

Cette entrée a été publiée dans Offres le 23 novembre 2013 par isabelle. 

CALL FOR SYMPOSIUM AND SCIENCE MARKET PROPOSALS

Submission of proposals for Symposia and Science Markets is now open

Deadline: 31 December 2013

Symposia will host most oral contributions. We expect to host about 24 symposia. Each symposium will have a duration of 01h:45m, with 5 speakers. A symposium proposal is submitted by two Conveners from different countries. The conveners select two Keynote Speakers (one or both Conveners can be a Keynote Speaker) whereas the remaining three speakers will be selected later among the abstracts submitted for oral presentations. 

Science Markets will have a duration of 01h:45m, and can have any format (workshop, round table, technical meeting, etc.). We expect to host about 10 Science Markets. Proposal should be submitted by at least two Conveners from different countries. Priority will be given to proposals which are likely to be interesting for a large number of participants. 

Plenary lectures will be given by Christine J. Nicol (University of Bristol), Alexander Roulin (University of Lausanne), Tecumseh Fitch (University of Vienna), Hynek Burda (University Duisburg‐Essen & Czech University of Life Sciences Prague).

Please go to http://ecbb2014.agrobiology.eu to find further conference info and instructions for preparing your proposal and submit your proposal. Submission of Abstracts for Symposia, Science Markets, Oral and Poster contributions will open on February 1, 2014 and close on March 31, 2014.

PhD in wildlife ecology

NERC funded CASE PhD in the Environment Dept, University of York

Title: Biodiversity and ecosystem service conservation in protected peatland ecosystems

Background 

In Britain, only 5% of original lowland raised peatlands remain and are priorities under the EU Habitats Directive. Restoration of peatland provides many ecosystem services and habitat for key species including Red-Listed nightjars Caprimulgus europaeus. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that increasing deer numbers are having adverse impacts on peatlands and dependent species. 

Objectives

1) Use thermal imaging and electronic tracking on and around Humberhead Peatlands NNR, in combination with habitat data, to determine the habitat preferences of red and roe deer, and nightjars to identify overlap and potential conflicts. 

2) Use participatory mapping of deer activity on and around Peatlands with local stakeholders, to develop representations of deer movements which will then be compared and integrated with objective 3 using GIS to develop maps of deer abundance.

3) Assess current deer population levels and impacts in and around the NNR, to evaluate changing impacts and develop appropriate adaptive management.

4) Integrate the CASE partner NE’s long term datasets (35+ years) on nightjars, water levels and habitats from several NNRs with the above data to model the likely impacts of ongoing peatland restoration through raising water levels and potential deer management.

Supervisor: Dr Piran White (York Environment) 

Co-supervisors: Dr Kathryn Arnold (York Environment) & Dr Julian Small (Natural England) 

To discuss your suitability for this project please email: piran.white@york.ac.uk

For application details: http://www.york.ac.uk/biology/postgraduate/nercdtp/

PhD in avian ecology and ecotoxicology

Title: Assessing exposure risks of emerging contaminants in the environment to wild birds

Supervisors: Kathryn Arnold (Environment Dept, University of York), Richard Shore (CEH, Lancaster), Gloria Pereira (CEH, Lancaster)

Background

Birds are good indicators of ecosystem health because they live in a range of habitats and generally occupy a high trophic level. Whilst contaminants are implicated in biodiversity declines, exposure risk is difficult to predict both in space and time especially for ‘emerging’ contaminants such as pharmaceuticals in the environment.

Objectives

This studentship will develop novel tools and approaches for assessing exposure of wild birds to pharmaceuticals in the environment. Specifically, the student will:

1) Using samples gathered by the Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (http://pbms.ceh.ac.uk/ -  run by CEH), through WILDCOMS (http://www.wildcoms.org.uk/ - led by CEH) and potentially by the student in the field, validate assays for pharmaceuticals in the tissues of top predators and prey species from sites across the UK; 

2) Identify species and food chains most at risk to pharmaceutical exposure;

3) Map pharmaceuticals in the environment across different spatial and temporal scales;

4) Incorporate spatial data on pharmaceutical and target species’ distributions with diet and pharmaceutical toxicity data to help plan a monitoring and surveillance network for emerging contaminants affecting wildlife.

The deadline for receipt of applications is Monday 20 January 2014. 

Eligibility: The studentships are available to UK and EU students who meet the UK residency requirements. Students from EU countries who do not meet the residency requirements may still be eligible for a fees-only award.

For more information and application details see website: 

http://www.york.ac.uk/biology/postgraduate/nercdtp/#tab-1

For informal enquiries email: Kathryn.Arnold@york.ac.uk

PhD Research Project

Animal collective behaviour: avoiding predators and making decisions in groups. 

NERC funded competition: The importance of social behaviour in biological invasions

Institution:

University of Bristol

Dept/School/Faculty:

School of Biological Sciences

PhD Supervisor:

Dr C Ioannou

Application Deadline:

10 January 2014

Funding Availability:

Competition Funded PhD Project (European/UK Students Only)

add

email

apply online

PhD Research Project

How, why and when do animals form and maintain groups? This has been an ongoing question in the study of animal behaviour for the past century. Recently this has been integrated across taxa as the field of 'collective behaviour', which often includes humans and artificial systems. My particular focus is on decisions made by groups (e.g. who makes decisions and how sharing information can improve decision making ability) and how predator behaviour shapes collective behaviour in animals. I typically use freshwater fish as a model system. However, I am also open to ideas for projects in this general area, and working on animals other than fish.

Although you will be based in the School of Biological Sciences, I am happy to hear from applicants with any relevant background, particularly psychology, computer science, physics, engineering and mathematics. The School has one of the largest animal behaviour groups in the country, a thriving and friendly PhD community, and you will be joining at an exciting time with the move to our new £54m building in 2014.

Are you a top student? If so, I have a project that needs some excellent candidates to compete for funding (below). Contact me if you're interested:

Invasive species have a huge impact on the structure of natural communities and hence biodiversity. The Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) is native to central America but is a common invasive species in tropical freshwater habitats where it feeds on the young of native aquatic species, causing their populations to decline sometimes to the point of local extinction. Despite the guppy’s clear ability to exploit new food sources in novel habitats, it is unknown how they survive encounters with novel predator species. Although this is a frequent issue for invasive species, the guppy provides a unique opportunity to study how invasive species adapt to new predators: in the Northern Range mountains of Trinidad, guppies are found in discrete river populations with different predator assemblages. Over a relatively short evolutionary time scale, the fish adapt locally to differences in predation with changes in behaviour, morphology and life history traits. Despite this inter-population variation, the differences remain much smaller than is commonly observed between native-invasive species pairings, allowing the guppy to be used as a model to isolate and study the importance of social interactions in the survival of individuals in novel habitats.

Predation may be avoided initially by shoaling with native individuals, followed by social learning allowing the fish to use newly acquired private information in subsequent encounters with that predator. As a long term goal, determining the social traits that allow individuals to avoid predation in novel habitats will help in identifying species that are likely to survive when introduced and thus pose the greatest threat of becoming invasive.

Recently the study of animal groups has been integrated with other disciplines as the multi- disciplinary field of collective behaviour. Although numerous techniques have been developed in this area through collaboration between biologists, physicists, computer scientists and mathematicians, their application to understanding conservation issues is under exploited. The project will use these techniques alongside more traditional ecological and behavioural approaches. Individual marking using elastomer tags will allow fish from different populations to be identified. Laboratory and field studies will examine how native and non-native guppies react to a range of predator species, and how this is affected by both the total number of prey fish (density dependence) and the proportion that are non-native (frequency dependence). The empirical emphasis of the project will allow us to quantify how native and non-native prey interact with each other and their predators as a complex system. 

Funding Notes:

These studentships will be funded by NERC and are available to UK nationals and other EU nationals that have resided in the UK for three years prior to commencing the studentship. If you meet this criteria, funding will be provided for tuition fees and stipend. If you are a citizen of a EU member state you will eligible for a fees-only award.

References:

Berdahl B., Torney C.J., Ioannou C.C., Faria J.J., Couzin I.D. (2013) Emergent sensing of complex environments by social animal groups. Science, 339: 574-576, 10.1126/science.1225883.

Ioannou C.C., Guttal V., Couzin I.D. (2012). Predatory fish select for coordinated collective motion in virtual prey. Science, 337: 1212-1215, 10.1126/science.1218919.

Couzin I.D., Ioannou C.C., Demirel G., Gross T., Torney C.J., Hartnett A., Conradt L., Levin S.A., Leonard N.E. (2011). Uninformed individuals promote democratic consensus in animal groups. Science, 332: 1578-1580, 10.1126/science.1210280.

Katz Y., Tunstrøm K., Ioannou C.C., Huepe C., Couzin I.D. (2011). Inferring the structure and dynamics of interactions in schooling fish. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108: 18720-18725, 10.1073/pnas.1107583108. 

MSc project on SADs

Available: Master’s thesis on Self Aggrandizing Displays in Common ravens (Corvus corax)

Supervisor: Prof. Thomas Bugnyar

Advisors: Stephan Reber, Andrius Pasukonis, Martina Schiestl

Background:

Common ravens show a variety of Self Aggrandizing Displays (SADs) composed of vocalizations and accompanying body postures. Although SADs are also produced when alone, they are often directed towards rivals or potential mates in vagrant individuals, and towards the mate in paired birds. Ravens seem to develop their own repertoire of SADs during their ontogeny, which makes the categorization of raven calls particularly challenging. Using playback experiments we will investigate whether ravens perceive different types of SADs, produced by a single familiar individual, as an autonomous display and whether ravens can discriminate among individuals within a single SAD type.

The position:

Parts of the data have already been collected but not analyzed yet. Further experimental work is needed. The successful applicant will become part of a research group mainly working at the Haidlhof research station in Bad Vöslau, Austria (run by the University of Vienna and the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna).

During this project, the student will gain experience in:

- Sound recording and basic acoustic analysis using Praat

- Playback stimuli composition using Adobe Audition or Praat

- Playback experiments using the Habituation-Dishabituation paradigm

- Video recording and video coding using Solomon coder

- Basic statistical analysis

Previous knowledge of these capacities would be of advantage but is not mandatory.

Requirements:

- Independence!

- Fluent in spoken and written English

- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Biology or Cognitive Sciences

- Able to work in a team

- Capable, willing, and motivated to work with non-domestic animals

- Physically capable to work outdoors in winter time

Women will be given preferential treatment over equally qualified male candidates.

If you are interested in this position, please send a one-page CV and a one-page motivation letter to: stephan.reber@univie.ac.at

Start of the position:

As soon as possible!!

PhD Scholarships for 2014 entry

The School of Anthropology and Conservation at the University of Kent will have at least 6 PhD scholarships (home/eu fees and stipend as research council rate) available for 2014 entry. There are also additional opportunities to be funded through the DTC-ESRC scheme (if the proposed project falls under the ESRC remit), as well as a few other university-wide schemes. Candidates are encouraged to apply by January 31st 2014 to be considered for all the available scholarships, but must contact a potential supervisor in the first instance, with a draft proposal. 

International (non UK/EU) students will be considered, but will not be eligible to receive extra funding to make up the difference in cost between home and overseas fees (i.e. Such students will need to demonstrate they have means of meeting this difference). Based on past experience candidates will be unlikely to receive funding if they do not have a first class UG degree and/or an Master's degree at distinction (or equivalent).

More details about all the funding (and specific deadlines and requirements for each) on offer can be found here

http://www.kent.ac.uk/sac/scholarships/index.html.

While the competition for places will be School-wide, proposals that tackle issues of animal behaviour, ecology and/or conservation will receive full consideration. I am particularly interested in studies tackling topics such as reciprocity, aggression (or more broadly social-group dynamics) as well as foraging and/or habitat use/ranging, with a large-mammal and particularly great-ape focus.

Please pass this on to any excellent UG and Master's students who may be interested in pursuing PhD research. I am happy to field informal enquiries. 

With apologies for any cross posting,

Nick Newton-Fisher

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dr Nicholas E. Newton-Fisher

Senior Lecturer in Primate Behavioural Ecology

School of Anthropology & Conservation

University of Kent

Tel: +44 (0)1227 827814

web: http://bit.ly/NewtonFisher

VII European Conference on Behavioural Biology, 17-20 July 2014

CALL FOR SYMPOSIUM AND SCIENCE MARKET PROPOSALS

VII European Conference on Behavioural Biology, Prague, 17-20 July 2014

               

Dear colleague,

The submission of proposals for Symposia and Science Markets is now open.

Deadline: 31 December 2013

Symposia will host most oral contributions. We expect to host about 24 symposia. Each symposium will have a duration of 01h:45m, with 5 speakers. A symposium proposal is submitted by two Conveners from different countries. The conveners select two Keynote Speakers (one or both Conveners can be a Keynote Speaker) whereas the remaining three speakers will be selected later among the abstracts submitted for oral presentations.

Science Markets will have a duration of 01h:45m, and can have any format (workshop, round table, technical meeting, etc.). We expect to host about 10 Science Markets. Proposal should be submitted by at least two Conveners from different countries. Priority will be given to proposals which are likely to be interesting for a large number of participants.

Plenary lectures will be given by Christine J. Nicol (University of Bristol), Alexander Roulin (University of Lausanne), Tecumseh Fitch (University of Vienna), Hynek Burda (University Duisburg‐Essen & Czech University of Life Sciences Prague).

Please go to http://ecbb2014.agrobiology.eu to find further conference info and instructions for preparing your proposal and submit your proposal. Submission of Abstracts for Symposia, Science Markets, Oral and Poster contributions will open on February 1, 2014 and close on March 31, 2014.

With very best wishes,

The Scientific Programme Committee ECBB 2014

STAGIAIRE EN ETHOLOGIE (H/F)

Rattaché(e) à la Direction Recherche et Développement, vous serez chargé(e) d’étudier le comportement du chat au moment du repas face à des aliments de valeurs énergétiques différentes.

Vous réaliserez les différentes étapes suivantes :

• Synthèse bibliographique
• Proposition d’un protocole d’observation : échantillonnage, plan de présentation des aliments, méthode d’observation et définition des comportements pertinents.
• Réalisation des observations
• Synthèse et interprétation des résultats
• Elaboration de préconisations

Cette description prend en compte les principales responsabilités, elle n'est pas limitative.

CANDIDAT

Dates et durée du stage : début 1er trimestre 2014/6 mois

Lieu : Elven

Profil : Master en éthologie ou équivalent.

Esprit d’analyse et de synthèse. Solides capacités de communication. Maîtrise de l’anglais impérative.

La Division Pet Food du Groupe DIANA (415 millions de CA), est leader mondial dans la fabrication et la commercialisation de facteurs d’appétence destinés aux fabricants d’aliments pour animaux de compagnie (pet-food).

Pour ce poste basé à Elven 

Merci d’adresser votre dossier de candidature (CV, lettre de motivation) à Marianne LUSSEAU recrutement-fr@diana-petfood.com en indiquant la référence STA/RD ETHO

Offre de stage non-rémunéré (Master 1)

2 mois (avril-mai 2014)

Thème : Développement du chant chez le rougequeue noir, Phoenicurus ochruros

Lieu : Laboratoire d’Ethologie et Cognition Comparées, Université Paris Ouest Nanterre (RER A - 15 min. de Chatelet)

Description : Le rouge queue noir est une espèce à maturation retardée du plumage, permettant de distinguer le plumage des mâles de première année (gris) vs les mâles plus âgés (noirs). Nous étudions l'évolution du chant en fonction de l'âge ainsi que la réponse territoriale des oiseaux aux intrusions simulées de jeunes mâles (1^ère année) vs mâles plus âgés en utilisant des tests de repasse (diffusion de chants sur le terrain).   

Travail demandé

•  enregistrements des chants sur le terrain à l’aube (ville de Nanterre)
•  Tests de repasse sur le terrain; analyse des chants sur Avisoft

Encadrement : - Guillaume HUET DES AUNAY (doctorant 3^ème année)     

                        - Tudor DRAGANOIU (MCF)                                 

Contact : tdragano@gmail.com