A Research
Assistant position is available for 1.5 years (starting 1 August 2019,
or soon thereafter) in Professor Christian Rutz’s research group at the
University of St Andrews, to investigate
the tool behaviour of captive Hawaiian crows. The post is part of a
BBSRC-funded project, involving close collaboration between Professor
Rutz (PI; School of Biology), Professor Josep Call (Co-I; School of
Psychology and Neuroscience), Dr Ron Swaisgood, Bryce
Masuda, Dr Alison Greggor and Dr Alison Flanagan (overseas project
partners; San Diego Zoo Global), Dr William Hoppitt (statistical
consultant), and several other team members.
It was recently
discovered that the critically-endangered Hawaiian crow is a highly
dexterous tool user (Rutz et al. 2016, Nature 537, 403-407). The present
project will chart the species’
tool-related skills, and other behavioural competencies, by running the
world’s entire captive adult population of crows (>100 birds) on a
newly-developed behavioural test battery.
The post-holder
will assist the team with running behavioural experiments, involving
annual visits to Hawaii (USA) of ~6 months. In-between field trips, they
will be based in the Centre for
Biological Diversity at the University of St Andrews, to help with data
analysis, data management, project planning and public engagement
activities. The post-holder will be part of a larger team, and work
closely with a post-doctoral research assistant (PDRA),
providing excellent training opportunities.
Candidates must
have HND level qualification (or comparable) in a relevant subject area
(e.g., Biology, Zoology, Psychology), and will ideally have some
experience in conducting behavioural
experiments and processing scientific data. The post requires a keen
interest in animal behaviour research, a high degree of self-motivation
and independence, effective communication and team work, meticulous data
collection and record keeping, and excellent
organisational, time-management and practical problem-solving skills.
Informal enquiries can be addressed to Professor Rutz (christian.rutz@st-andrews.ac.uk), but all applications must be submitted via the University’s vacancies site.
This role does not
meet the minimum requirements set by the UKVI to enable sponsorship of
migrant workers. Further information can be found at https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/staff/policy/immigration/.
The University is
committed to equality for all, demonstrated through our working on
diversity awards (ECU Athena SWAN/Race Charters; Carer Positive; LGBT
Charter; and Stonewall). More details
can be found at http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/hr/edi/diversityawards/.
Further particulars, and an application link, can be found here:
Reference: TG1160AS
Closing Date: 19 July 2019
Location: St Andrews
Salary: £19,202
Hours: Full Time
Contract Type: Fixed-Term/Contract