25 Ph.D./Postdoc Positions in Collective Behaviour, University/Max Planck Institute, Konstanz, Germany

25 Ph.D./Postdoctoral Positions in Collective Behaviour, University/Max Planck Institute, Konstanz, Germany

The University of Konstanz, Germany, is recruiting up to 25 PhD and Post-doc positions https://www.uni-konstanz.de/collective-behaviour/open-positions/ in collective behaviour as part of the new Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour https://www.uni-konstanz.de/collective-behaviour/. One of Germany’s top-level Clusters of Excellence, it is backed by > 30 million euro in funding over 7 years (with the possibility of a second seven-year funding period), which will commence in January 2019. 

The “Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour” will create a global hotspot for the integrated study of collective behaviour across a wide range of species and scales of organisation. With English as the working language, it will be a global hub for scientists seeking to create a synergistic, interdisciplinary environment for the study of collective behavior. Based at the University of Konstanz, it partners with the co-located Max Planck Institute for Ornithology (Directors Iain Couzin and Martin Wikelski), as well as national and international institutes including the Yale Institute for Network Sciences (Director Nicholas Christakis) and Charles Perkins Institute, Sydney (Director Steve Simpson).

With the goal of establishing collective behaviour as an integrative field, the Centre will bring together international researchers from biology, computer science, social psychology, physics, and behavioural economics to work closely on addressing common questions across species boundaries. Overall programmatic themes include: social learning and culture; collective sensing and movement; social influence and transmission; spread of physiological states; collective intelligence and decision-making; social networks; virtual reality; computer modelling; machine learning; computer vision; visualisation and analytics. Research will be characterized by extensive collection and sophisticated analysis of empirical data as well as development of new technologies. The initiative leverages a new 3,000 sq. ft “Centre for Visual Computing of Collectives” (https://www.uni-konstanz.de/collective-behaviour/facilities/) housing unique imaging and tracking technology that will enable controlled experiments in virtual environments.

The Centre is seeking motivated PhD and post-doctoral researchers interested in interdisciplinary behavioural research that crosses boundaries of scale and species. Recruits will be part of an outstanding environment for junior researchers at the University of Konstanz. PhD students will be supported by highly-ranked graduate programs (Graduate School of Decision Sciences and the International Max Planck Research School for Organismal Biology) and post-docs will benefit from multiple funding possibilities, a nationally-recognized Institute for Advanced Study for Junior Researchers (Zukunftskolleg) and an award-winning professional development program.

The Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour will be located at the University of Konstanz, an elite University of Excellence and ranked #1 young university in Germany. Konstanz is an historic city in southern Germany on the shores of Lake Constance, and at the gateway to the Alps.The Konstanz research portfolio includes “Collective Behaviour and Ecology" as one of five research foci. The University is committed to Open Science and all members of our Centre must be committed to ethical, transparent and open science. Konstanz has an active and successful dual-career partner placement program and a strong commitment to work-life balance and family-friendly programs for faculty and staff. The campus hosts an exceptional childcare facility (https://www.uni-konstanz.de/en/equalopportunities/family/childcare/kinderhaus-knirps-co-child-care-centre/) with support for childcare during emergencies, conferences, or travel.

PhD Project: Social Complexity and Communication Systems in Birds

We are seeking a PhD student to study the link between social and vocal complexity in birds. Vocalizations in birds can be socially learned and culturally transmitted, leading to a mosaic of distinct vocal dialects across populations. Theories of the evolution of vocal systems have proposed the “social-complexity” hypothesis, which asserts that the diversity and complexity of communication signals is driven by the complexity of social interactions within groups, at both the proximate (individual, ecological) and ultimate (species, evolutionary) levels. This project will provide an empirical test of the social-complexity hypothesis. First, the student will investigate the interplay between social dynamics, population structure, and vocal call types in a wild parrot. Second, the project will include a comparative analysis across psittaciformes. The position is fully funded for 4 years, and open to students of any nationality.

Announcement Link: http://www.orn.mpg.de/4147493/aplin2019

Position Details:  Research will involve collecting and analyzing demographic, behavioral, and acoustic data from multiple populations of birds, as well as conducting a comparative analysis of the published literature in parrots (order Psittaciformes). Experimental work in captivity or the wild addressing mechanisms of social learning and cultural transmission of vocal communication is also possible.

Research Community: The student will be a member of the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Organismal Biology, a cooperative doctoral program between the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the University of Konstanz. The student will also be integrated with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, in the Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, where statistical and quantitative training in cultural evolutionary analyses will take place. The student should therefore be prepared to spend significant time in both locations.

Qualifications: Research will involve extensive independent field work, experimental work, bioacoustics analysis and quantitative data analysis. The ideal candidate should have experience in at least one of these areas as well as a strong desire to learn new skills. Demonstrated ability to engage in independent research is expected. Applicants should have a masters degree or equivalent in ecology, animal behavior, zoology, or a related subject. The working language of the group is English, and German language skills are not a requirement.

Location: Radolfzell (Konstanz) and Leipzig, Germany.

Application Process: Applicants should apply via the IMPRS application system (due 15 January 2019, http://www.orn.mpg.de/2383/Application). Please include a CV, 1 page statement of your research interests, and contact details for at least two references. Start date will be between June and September of 2019.

Keywords: social complexity, cultural evolution, vocal learning, social systems, parrots, birds

Advisors:  Mary Brooke McElreath (mary_mcelreath@eva.mpg.de) and Lucy Aplin (laplin@orn.mpg.de)

Max Planck Institute for Ornithology & Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Poste de maitre de conférences

4-year PhD position studying the welfare of free-range laying hens

Funded by the BBSRC DTP, we are advertising a 4-year fully-funded PhD position to study the effects of different housing conditions on chronic stress in free-range laying hens. The full funding is only available for eligible UK residents.

Project Description

Eggs are an important staple food in our society, not only for direct sale to consumers, but also in a wide range of prepared foods and baked goods. There is a wide societal consensus that we want egg production to provide not only the highest possible welfare to the hens themselves, but also to provide sustainable, nutritious and safe food. For this reason, many producers now produce free range eggs. However, there are a great many variations in what constitutes a free range system and there can be conflicts between different design priorities.

We do not yet know how to obtain the highest possible welfare within a free range context. For example, compared to birds confined indoors, free range hens are exposed to more pathogens from wild birds. In this project, you will use newly-developed methods for assessing chronic stress in laying hens to determine which features of a free range housing system cause less stress to the birds. You will also investigate how these levels of chronic stress are related to potential infections with pathogens, such as Salmonella. Therefore you will receive a comprehensive training in a range of laboratory techniques, allowing you to pursue a future career in a variety of disciplines.

As a CASE studentship, this PhD also involves close collaboration with an industrial partner, namely The Lakes Free Range Egg Company, an award-winning producer of free range eggs. As part of your training, you will receive a detailed induction to the operation of an integrated food production business including planning, operations, marketing and distribution. Such training will give you a unique appreciation of the operation of a fast-moving consumer goods business, further enhancing your career options upon successful completion of your PhD.

You will become familiar with the operation of the company’s egg production database, and see at first-hand how data collected on farms supplying the Lakes and in the packing station is used in management decision making. With further statistical training, you will subsequently undertake an epidemiological analysis to explore long-term trends in animal performance, health and welfare using data collected from different free range farms over several years. In this way, you will help set the parameters for optimal high-welfare egg production in the future and so be part of innovation in the development of real-time control systems.

For further information see the website: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/nes/ 

To apply

Please complete the online application form (https://forms.ncl.ac.uk/view.php?id=553440) and attach a full CV and covering letter. Informal enquiries may be made to jonathan.guy@newcastle.ac.uk

Funding Notes

This is a 4 year BBSRC CASE studentship under the Newcastle-Liverpool-Durham DTP. The successful applicant will receive research costs, tuition fees and stipend (£14,777 for 2018-19). The PhD will start in October 2019. Applicants should have, or be expecting to receive, a 2.1 Hons degree (or equivalent) in a relevant subject. EU candidates must have been resident in the UK for 3 years in order to receive full support. There are 2 stages to the application process.

References

Robertson, B.-A., Rathbone, L., Cirillo, G., D’Eath, R.B., Bateson, M., Boswell, T., Wilson, P.W., Dunn, I.C. and Smulders, T.V. (2017) Food restriction reduces neurogenesis in the avian hippocampal formation. PLoS ONE 12(12): e0189158. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189158

Sujet de Master 1 - 2019

Titre : Evaluation comportementale de la sensibilité au stress de populations allopatriques génétiquement différenciées chez Perca fluviatilis

Contexte global. Le développement durable de l'aquaculture repose en partie sur une diversification des espèces produites. Cette diversification nécessite la domestication de nouvelles espèces. Cependant, la domestication reste un processus long et difficile. Les programmes de domestication les plus récents tentent d'améliorer et de rationaliser ce processus en sélectionnant les taxons qui ont un haut potentiel de domestication (c.-à-d. qui peuvent facilement être maintenus et reproduits en captivité et qui présentent un potentiel socio-économique élevé). Néanmoins, les programmes actuels négligent la différenciation géographique intraspécifique communément observée entre les populations. Pourtant, celle-ci conduit à des spécificités locales qui peuvent influencer le potentiel de domestication.

Contexte du stage. La résistance à des stress (ex : à l'émersion) va fortement influencer la résilience des stocks de poissons en conditions aquacoles. En effet, les poissons d’élevage sont soumis  à  des  situations  de  stress  répétées  (manipulations,  densité). Or,  le  stress  peut  avoir  des conséquences négatives importantes sur les performances du poisson et donc sur la production aquacole. La domestication de populations sauvages moins sensibles au stress pourrait participer à une augmentation de la production et du bien-être animal dans les exploitations piscicoles.

But et description du stage. L’élevage en captivité présente des contraintes induisant des stress qui peuvent avoir un rôle négatif sur la productivité attendue. Dans le cadre du contexte ci-dessus, nous proposons de tester l’influence de l’origine géographique des populations de perche (Perca fluviatilis) sur le comportement des larves de cette espèce face à un stress. Le stagiaire sera impliqué dans des analyses vidéos d’une expérimentation précédemment effectuée pour évaluer la réponse comportementale d’une population de perche face à un stress. Il conviendra ensuite de comparer les résultats avec les données précédemment acquises sur d’autres populations. Les analyses statistiques permettront de comparer les variabilités intra-population et inter-population des larves de perche. De plus, le stagiaire sera également impliqué dans les expérimentations menées en 2019 qui viseront à évaluer d’autres populations. Le stagiaire sera donc également impliqué dans l’élevage des larves en conditions contrôlées et dans la mise en place des expérimentations comportementales. Ces résultats pourront permettre in fine de comparer les réponses comportementales aux réponses physiologiques (évaluation de paramètres immunitaires et du cortisol réalisée en parallèle). Encadrants.  Dr. Alain PASQUET (CR CNRS) et Dr. Thomas LECOCQ (MCF); URAFPA EA 3889, INRA USC 340 Université de Lorraine, Faculté des Sciences et Technologies 54506 Vandœuvre les Nancy Cedex email : alain.pasquet@univ-lorraine.fr

Période de stage : de préférence après mars 2019

Durée de stage : 2 mois

Profil de l’étudiant. Curiosité par rapport à l’animal et son comportement, Ingéniosité et persévérance pour la mise en place de nouveaux outils, Utilisation de logiciels informatiques conventionnels (excel, R), Adaptation au travail en équipe.

Modalités de candidature : Envoyer un CV et une lettre de motivation à : alain.pasquet@univ-lorraine.fr & thomas.lecocq@univ-lorraine.fr

Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in Animal Behaviour

Dear ASAB members - we are recruiting for a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in Animal Behaviour in the School of Natural Sciences and Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University. Please see below for details.

The School of Natural Sciences and Psychology seeks to appoint a Lecturer or Senior Lecturer in Animal Behaviour. You will have a track record of conducting and publishing high quality research or be able to demonstrate outstanding research promise. We seek an animal behaviour specialist who can make an effective contribution to undergraduate and postgraduate learning, teaching and assessment. You will contribute to our successful undergraduate programmes in the biosciences (e.g. Animal Behaviour, Biology, Wildlife Conservation, Zoology).

https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/faculties/faculty-of-science/school-of-natural-sciences-and-psychology

Informal enquiries may be made to Dr Antje Engelhardt, Subject Leader (Animal Behaviour).

email a.engelhardt@ljmu.ac.uk

LJMU is committed to achieving equality of opportunity.

For further information about this vacancy and to apply online please see here: https://jobs.ljmu.ac.uk/vacancy/lecturer-or-senior-lecturer-in-animal-behaviour-370904.html

Offre de stage de deux mois: Etude expérimentale des processus de régulation du flux alimentaire chez la fourmi

Sujet de stage
L’alimentation est un phénomène régulé par les besoins nutritionnels de l’organisme et la disponibilité d’aliments. En fonction de l’état physiologique de l’individu et de l’éco système dans lequel celui-ci évolue, le choix pour un type d’aliment et les quantités ingérées varient. Le choix du type d’aliment ingéré et la régulation de l’activité de fourragement intègrent donc un grand nombre de variables auxquelles chaque être vivant est confronté constamment. Les sociétés plus ou moins intégrées doivent faire face à un challenge similaire mais néanmoins plus complexe. Chez les insectes sociaux, et notamment les fourmis, la division du travail implique que seule une partie des ouvrières (les fourrageuses) parte à la recherche de nourriture (Hölldobler & Wilson 1990). De retour au nid, les trophallaxies (échanges alimentaires entre fourmis) permettent la distribution de la nourriture à l’ensemble de la colonie (voir par exemple Mailleux et al. 2010, 2009, 2006). Du point de vue du comportement individuel, chaque fourmi a le choix entre le partage ou l’accumulation des aliments. La résultante de ces décisions individuelles couplées aux proportions relatives entre fourmis donneuses et receveuses (fourrageuses et stockeuses) influence profondément la distribution de la nourriture au sein de la fourmilière et par conséquent, l’activité de récolte.
Les résultats obtenus pour des groupes d’ouvrières chez Formica fusca montrent que l’entrée d’aliments est régulée par le processus d’amplification bien connu qu’est le recrutement d’une part, et un effet de saturation proportionnel à la quantité récoltée d’autre part. La distribution des aliments est hétérogène et centrale dans l’agrégat d’ouvrière. Quels changements de mécanismes peut observer lorsqu’on étudie, non pas une partie de la colonie mais son entièreté ? Les besoins des larves, la présence de la reine influencent-ils profondément le système de régulation du flux alimentaire entrant ou ne font-il que renforcer les processus observés dans des groupes d’ouvrières ? Grâce à un marquage radioactif des aliments et à la scintigraphie, il est possible de suivre, en temps réel et sans perturbation, leur propagation dans la colonie. En faisant varier le nombre de d’ouvrières fourrageuses et d’ouvrières domestiques (ne fourrageant pas), nous étudierons les interactions et le réseau qui se dessine de par ces interactions afin de mieux comprendre les mécanismes de flux alimentaire au sein de la colonie.

Références : Buffin et al. (2009). Feeding and stocking up: radio-labelled food reveals exchange patterns in ants. Plos One 4: e5919. – Buffin et al. (2012). Collective regulatory stock management and spatiotemporal dynamics of the food flow in ants. FASEB Journal, doi: 10.1096/fj.11-193698.

Durée de stage: deux mois, à choisir entre janvier et mai.

Encadrants et lieu du stage : F Criscuolo, C Sueur, F Bertile, S Zahn, IPHC- Campus CNRS Cronenbourg, Strasbourg. Le candidat évoluera au sein de l’Equipe animée par Carsten Schradin, Ecophysiologie Sociale et Evolution et devra participer au Team Lunch hebdomadaires.

Coordonnées et contact : Cédric Sueur, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Département Ecologie, Physiologie, Ethologie, 23 rue du Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg Cedex 2. cedric.sueur@iphc.cnrs.fr TEL : +33 (0)3 88 10 74 53

Post-doc position in Animal Ethology and Welfare

The Animal Physiology Group at the Institute of Agricultural Science at ETH Zurich addresses the complex regulation of physiology in livestock. Our basic research activities in animal ethology aim at finding ways to better assess and understand the needs of domestic and captive animals, in order to improve their housing environment and management. We are offering a Post-doc position in Animal Ethology and Welfare 

We are looking for an early experienced, highly motivated young researcher with a strong enthusiasm for scientific work to conduct outstanding research in the field of Animal Ethology at AgroVet-Strickhof (www.agrovet-strickhof.ch) in context of livestock and/or wildlife. Teaching activities include thepreparation and implementation of courses related to animal ethology. These are addressed to studentsof the agricultural sciences study program. 

We offer a challenging range of tasks that requires creativity, independency, commitment and goal-

oriented work within a motivated interdisciplinary team of young scientists. We provide a very well

equipped facility at ETH Zurich. Both collaboration within the interdisciplinary Animal Physiology group and international cooperation are anticipated and highly furthered. Publication activities and conferenceparticipations are promoted. An anticipated start date for this position is the beginning of 2019. This position is initially limited to 2 years and may be extended to 6 years.

Applicants have completed a doctoral degree in biology, agricultural sciences, veterinary medicine or

related disciplines and have demonstrated their ability to work independently in an interdisciplinary

research environment.

We look forward to receiving your online application including a letter of motivation and a detailed CV with copies of certificates. Please address your application to: ETH Zurich, Prof. Susanne E Ulbrich.

Please note that we exclusively accept applications submitted through our online application portal.

Applications via email will not be considered. The selection process starts now and will be continued until the position is filled.

For further information about the group, please visit our website

www.ap.ethz.ch 

For questions about the position and questions related to the research opportunities at ETH Zurich please contact Prof. Ulbrich at sulbrich@ethz.ch (no applications)

More PhD Opportunities - University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science

PhD and MS Opportunities at the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School can be found here (updated with even more opportunities now): https://www.graduate.rsmas.miami.edu/admissions/phd-assistanships/index.html

All opportunities may not be listed (check back for more updates throughout the semester - we added another 8 or so yesterday). If interested in applying, some faculty will take students on without having an Assistantship listed. December 1st is priority deadline and regular deadline is January 1st for MS and PhD. Always a good idea to contact faculty!

Master of Professional Science (take the same courses as Ph.D. and MS students, but instead of a thesis/dissertation, you do an internship/research in the field with organizations such as NOAA, NPS, NGOs, etc. and 94% of students have a job in the field 6 months after graduation):

Degree Programs

o    Applied Remote Sensing

o    Aquaculture

o    Broadcast Meteorology

o    Coastal Zone Management

o    Exploration Science

o    Fisheries Management and Conservation

o    JD/MPS Program

o    Marine Conservation

o    Marine Mammal Science

o    Natural Hazard and Catastrophe Analytics

o    Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management

o    Underwater Archaeology

o    Climate and Society

o    Weather Forecasting

Potential students can apply to both Ph.D./MS and MPS degrees (no extra costs). Just make sure to click the button inside the PhD/MS application and click the checkbox on page 3 (MPS applications are on a rolling admissions and due July 1st). Applications can be found here for all graduate degrees (PhD, MS, and MPS):

https://www.applyweb.com/miamigrd/index.ftl

Any questions, please ask! I'm more than willing to facetime, Skype, or just chat on the phone to help you out. We will also be visiting Washington, DC for AGU December 10-14 and Phoenix for AMS January 5-9. Excited to chat with you all about the programs!!!

PhD opportunities

There are several funded PhD opportunities available at the moment to work with me at the Universties of Swansea and/or Bielefeld.

First, along with Dr Jamie Winternitz, we are advertisig for a PhD studentship in scent communication in wild banded mongooses (see attached and http://evol.mcmaster.ca/~brian/evoldir/GradStudentPositions/BielefeldU.BehavEvolEcol). The student will investigate genetic and environmental mechanisms behind scent communication, including the involvement of the MHC and microbiome. There will be the opportunity for both field work in Uganda and lab work in Germany. Deadline 15th December.

Second, I am looking for students with excellent CVs (first class degree and/or distinction at Masters level, plus relevent experience) to apply for a doctoral scholarship at Swansea University https://www.swansea.ac.uk/postgraduate/scholarships/research/swansea-university-research-excellence-scholarships-phd-2019.php. The topic of the PhD is flexible so this is a great opportunity to design your own project! I can provide opportunities investigating topics such as scent communication, inbreeding, mating/social systems, cooperation and conservation genetics in a variety of species (e.g. banded mongooses, meerkats, mole-rats, hedgehogs, pilot whales, social spiders and scorpions). Again, there is opportunity for field work and lab work depending on your interests. Take a look at my website https://hazelnichols.weebly.com/ for further details. Deadline 4th January but cotact me well in advance of this.

If you're interested, send me an email (h.j.nichols@swansea.ac.uk), sending me your CV, and we can discuss ideas.

Five 4-year PhD studentships in Behaviour Informatics

Are you interested in developing novel approaches to understanding, predicting or changing behaviour? 

Newcastle University is offering five, 4-year PhD studentships in the field of behaviour informatics. 

Behaviour informatics brings together the study of behaviour in all its guises, from economics to psychology and from behavioural ecology to animal welfare, with new methods from computational science and engineering to address challenging questions in human and/or animal behaviour. 

We want to attract students with backgrounds relevant to either behaviour (life, social sciences and economics) or informatics (computing science, engineering and mathematics) who are keen to expand their skills and pursue research at the intersection of these disciplines.  

Students recruited in 2019 will form the second cohort of an integrated programme funded by the Leverhulme Trust to develop training in behavioural informatics at Newcastle. The programme is student-led: in the first year, all students will conduct three taster projects that will give them the opportunity to choose and develop their final PhD project. All students will work with two supervisors, one from each discipline. The four-year program is designed to allow time for the upskill training necessary for successful inter-disciplinary research. 

For further information, please visit: www.behaviourinformatics.org.uk

Application deadline: January 27 2019

Offre d'emploi chargé-e de communication scientifique - CDD 12 mois - UBO/AMURE

Un poste Chargé de communication scientifique et organisation d’évènements scientifiques
Poste d’ingénieur d’études contractuel CDD, 12 mois
A compter du 7 janvier 2019

L'Unité Mixte de Recherche AMURE (Université de Brest, Ifremer, CNRS) recrute un-e chargé-e de communication dans le cadre d'un projet de développement d'un centre de l'Université des Nations Unies à Brest,
dédié à la science et la gouvernance de l'océan, dit "Ocean University Initiative" porteuse du projet UNU-OCEAN.

Voir l'offre complète : https://www.umr-amure.fr/job_opening_cc_unu/

Les CV et lettre de candidatures sont à adresser par e-mail avant le vendredi 23 novembre 2018 midi au contact : projetunuocean@univ-brest.fr

Volunteer Field Assistant Positions

Mandrillus Project - Information for Volunteers

Volunteer Field Assistant Positions

Role description

The Mandrillus Project is a non-profit organisation aiming at longitudinally studying wild mandrills in Southern Gabon. We are currently recruiting Volunteer Field Assistants for our 2018-2019 field season. These positions combine practical research with training and are entirely field-based. The volunteers are trained by and work alongside local field assistants, field managers, sometimes students and researchers, contributing to the research activities of the Mandrillus Project. Following established protocols, the fieldwork will primarily involve daily follows of a natural population of mandrills on foot, collecting data on the behaviour of individually recognisable animals, together with the collection of non-invasive measurements and samples. Please visit the website of the project to get an idea of the scientific programs that are currently running (http://www.projetmandrillus.com/research-and-conservation.html).

Positions available

Two Volunteer Field Assistant positions are currently available, each running for six months from March to August 2019.

What we cover

Once the volunteers arrive in the field site, the Mandrillus Project covers all their work-related costs, including accommodation (private equipped room with air-con and private bathroom, shared kitchen) and a stipend for meals (about 200€/month). The association will also cover the costs of the volunteers’ travel insurance. On the successful completion of fieldwork, we also contribute a minimum of 150€ towards the cost of the volunteers’ travel fees.

Who are we looking for?

These positions are open to all with an interest in animal behaviour and ecology. We are particularly keen to hear from applicants who:

• Are friendly, easy-going people, happy to live in small team at a remote field site
• Are strongly motivated, reliable, honest and committed
• Have good levels of physical fitness and stamina - you will be following the mandrills on foot several hours a day, 6 days per week, over mountainous terrain, in heat
• Show good initiative, with a willingness to learn and show attention to detail
• French is a plus but not eliminatory

What do volunteers get out of it?

• An amazing opportunity to share the lives of wild mandrills in an equatorial forest landscape
• An opportunity to learn new skills and gain experience, especially those relevant to research in behaviour and ecology
• An opportunity to be involved in a long-term project on African wildlife, hosted by an international research institution
• An opportunity to use this field experience with the Mandrillus Project as a stepping stone on to future Masters and PhD degree courses
• Experience a new culture and share knowledge with local assistants

Further information

For further details about these positions, including the work involved, our living conditions in the field, preparations prior to departure, and what to bring with you, please see below (and additional information will be provided to successful candidates).

How to apply

If you would like to apply, please prepare a CV and a detailed covering letter that should explain why you would like to work on the project. The CV should include the names of two referees with e-mail contact details.

Applications must be sent at projetmandrillus@gmail.com by 5:00 pm Sunday 23 December 2018. We will notify successfully shortlisted candidates few days after this deadline, and interviews will be held in Montpellier (for local successful candidates) or by skype from Monday 7 January 2019 to Friday 11 January 2019. Applicants should keep this date free for interview, since no other dates will be available. Telephone/skype interviews will be possible for overseas applicants.

* * * * * *

The Study Site

Weather

Gabon has an Equatorial climate with little seasonality. Precipitations are important, almost every day from October to May, and days may be hot (up to 30°C), although the Lekedi Park benefits from a cooler weather because of its altitude (600m). The long dry season, from June to September, is characterized by cool weather (temperatures can fall below 18°C) with no precipitation.

Landscape

The Lekedi Park is characterized by a mix of savannas and gallery forests interspersed with rivers and riverbeds. Equatorial Marantaceae forests are found in the area.

Wildlife

The Lekedi park is home to a variety of wildlife including forest buffalos, several Apes (chimpazees, gorillas) and other primates (cephus, nictitans) and, of course, mandrills! Predators include, occasionally, leopards (but don’t expect any encounter with them!). Birds and reptiles also abound.

Location

The Lekedi park is located in Southern Gabon. It is only a 1 hour drive from Moanda, the nearest town that comprises hotels, petrol stations, banks, basic shops and markets.

Working Conditions

Daily and weekly work schedules

Data collection requires full-day follows of the study group. This ensures that the location of the sleeping sites used by the mandrills each night is known, which in turn facilitates their pick-up by observers early the next morning. If the day begins late, or ends early, the mandrills can be lost and may take several days to relocate. Each day, seven days a week, two teams (at least two persons) alternate: the morning team leaves the camp at 5:45am and come back around 12:30pm while the afternoon team starts at noon and come back at 6:30pm. A driver brings every day the two teams by car the closest to the mandrills. When mandrills are located with high confidence, the team enters into the forest and starts following the mandrills. Field assistants work 6 half-days per week and benefit from one day off per week during the entire stay.

Working with mandrills in the Lekedi landscape

Observers and local field assistants spend half the day on foot in the company of the mandrills in the forest. Forested environments may be physically demanding because there are often closed and hilly. Field team members travel (with small backpacks) up to 5-8km a day, ascending and descending small hills and slippery, muddy, slopes as they follow the mandrills. The mandrills are habituated to the presence of human observers, allowing data to be collected from close proximity without causing disturbance, but observers must always act carefully and responsibly when in the company of these wild animals. Data collection is largely conducted with handheld computers. Faecal and urine samples are also collected on a routine basis. On-site supervision and detailed guidelines will be provided describing how to work with the mandrills in the forest.

Living Conditions

Accommodation

The fully-furnished, air-conditioned rooms are located in a small research complex where the lab and offices are. It is located at the entrance of the park near other houses: the house of the managers of the project, the one of the director of the park and another one for the vet of the park.

Food

Field team members prepare their own food in the communal, fully-furnished kitchen located in the research complex. Once every two weeks, the manager brings the field team members to Moanda to buy food and supplies.

Telephone and e-mail

The Project has access to wi-fi in the park available to volunteers (skype or facebook are, however, not allowed as is movie download). The project covers the costs of the wi-fi service. Field team members are advised to buy a local mobile phone chip when they arrive in Libreville or in Moanda.

Visitors and vacation

Volunteers cannot make arrangements to receive visitors during their stay at the Project (including local visitors). In addition, tourists are not allowed to visit the study group of mandrills. For vacations, volunteers need to plan to stay additional weeks following their 6-month commitment to the project. In these cases, a visa extension will be needed. Volunteers need to make their own arrangements.