Volunteer Research Assistant (6 months) - Taï Monkey Project, Ivory Coast

 

We are offering 1 volunteer position to collect long-term data for the Taï Monkey Project in Ivory Coast, starting January / February 2021 for 6 months.

The Taï Monkey project was founded in 1989 by Ronald Noë and Bettie Sluijter. Prof. Scott McGraw (Ohio State University, US), Prof. Klaus Zuberbühler (University of Neuchâtel, CH) and Dr. Anderson Bitty (Université Félix Houphouët –Boigny, CI) now direct this project. It is located within Taï National Park, Ivory Coast. It is the largest remaining block of intact rainforest in West Africa. Seven monkey species are regularly observed in the study area: western red colobus monkeys, western black-and-white colobus, olive colobus, Diana monkeys, lesser spot-nosed monkeys, Campbell’s monkeys, and sooty mangabeys.

The volunteer will help 2 PhD students of the University of Neuchâtel, under the direction of Prof. Klaus Zuberbühler, in their respective projects:

• Vocal learning in sooty mangabey (Cercocebus atys), Julián León
  

The volunteer will first be trained to identify individuals of a habituated group and their vocal behavior. Observational and experimental methods will be used to investigate how call structure and sound-meaning linkages are established and socially learned.

• Flexibility of production in olive colobus’ alarm calls (Procolobus verus), Quentin Gallot
  

After a period of training, the volunteer will work independently to collect behavioral observations (focal and ad lib data) and record vocalizations, following a habituated group. These data will help to investigate call combination system of olive colobus.

The volunteer will collaborate closely with local field assistants and PhD students.

Qualifications and Requirements:

The successful applicant will need to work independently in a remote and physically demanding habitat. Good social and communication skills are important to work and live with international colleagues and local staff with different cultural backgrounds. The applicant needs to speak basic French and English. Previous experience in animal behavior research and/or field work will be extremely beneficial to the application.

Salary / Funding:

Accommodation at the field site will be provided and one airfare, as well as permit fees and living expenses, will be reimbursed after completion of the 6 months field work.

    

Application:

For consideration, please compile the following documents into a single PDF labelled ‘TaiVolunteer_YourSurname.pdf’ and send to quentin.gallot@unine.ch: cover letter stating experience (1 page max); detailed CV; and the names and emails of two referees. The University of Neuchâtel places great emphasis on gender balance; we particularly encourage women to apply.

The evaluation process starts December 16, 2020 and continues until the position is filled. For questions about the position, contact Quentin Gallot (quentin.gallot@unine.ch).

PhD in wild bonobo social and communicative complexity - deadline 15th of January 2021

 

Hiring Organization:

Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Poland

Position Description:

We are searching for a motivated candidate, interested in pursuing a PhD study of bonobo sociality and communication in Lui Kotale study site, Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. This project is part of the larger study examining social and communication dynamics in three groups of wild bonobos. 

A 36-month full time PhD position is available at the Department of Anthropology, Faculty of Biology at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poland, funded by Sonata 14 https://www.ncn.gov.pl/ogloszenia/konkursy/sonata14). The co-investigator on this project is Dr Sam Roberts, who is a Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Liverpool John Moores University, UK. The position involves field work, data analyses and publication of the results. The successful candidate will be primarily based at the Adam Mickiewicz University where they will write their PhD thesis in English and attend doctoral school but will also spend 12 months in the field, where they will collect communication and social data from wild bonobos.

Qualifications/Experience:
Applicants are expected:

·         to have good undergraduate or master's degree in Biology, Evolutionary Anthropology or a related area

·         to have fluency in French and English, knowledge of Lingala is a huge plus

·         to have experience conducting fieldwork, especially behavioural observations with wild primates

·         to be able to work in harsh climate and difficult, isolated place for long hours

·         to be culturally sensitive and have necessary social skills to thrive in an intercultural research team

·         the applicants of any nationality or age may apply.

Salary/funding:
PhD stipend is 3000 Polish zloty per month. Additionally, travel and research expenses will be covered.

Term of Appointment:
The position starts between February and March 2021 (non-negotiable)

Application Deadline:
The deadline for the emailed applications to Anna Roberts (anna.roberts@chester.ac.uk) and Sam Roberts ( S.G.Roberts1@ljmu.ac.uk) is 15th of January, 2021. The shortlististed candidates will be invited on the 16th of January for informal interview. The shortlisted candidates will be expected to submit formal application to the university within 2 weeks of the informal interview (see below). International candidates will be interviewed via Skype.

Comments:
To apply for this post please send via email by the deadline of the 15th of January 2021: 1) a CV with contact details of three referees, 2) a cover letter (up to 2 pages) outlining your suitability for this position, 3) if possible copy of your MSc or BSc thesis

If successful in the informal interview, to apply to the university, shortlisted candidates will be asked to submit electronically: 1) cover letter, 2) personal questionnaire whose specimen is available on the website. This questionnaire lists achievements which have to be documented (e.g. if publication is listed as an achievement it has to be documented through providing a copy of it), 3) CV with contact details of three referees, 4) copy of the diploma of graduation from a higher education institution. If the education was obtained in non-English speaking country, scan of the document confirming applicant education (a copy) in the original language and a certified translation into, respectively, English or Polish, will be required. If you obtained your master diploma outside Poland please look here: https://nawa.gov.pl/en/recognition/recognition-for-academic-purposes/applying-foradmission-to-doctoral-studies, https://nawa.gov.pl/en/recognition/how-to-obtain-a-recognition-statement, 5) 35 mm x 45 mm color photograph, 6) 20 x 25 mm color photograph, with a resolution of at least 300 dpi (on an electronic data medium), 7) consent to the processing of personal data for the purposes of the admission procedure, 8) confirmation of payment of the admission fee for the Doctoral School (PLN 200 or the equivalent in EURO). The fee should be paid to the bank account: IBAN: PL77 1090 1362 0000 0000 0000 3601 7903; SWIFT: WBKPPLPPLPP with a note on the transfer slip: admission fee to the Doctoral School - name and surname, 9) scan/copy of the passport

Contact Information:
Dr Anna Roberts
Poland

Website:
http://anthro.amu.edu.pl/

E-mail Address:
anna.roberts@chester.ac.uk

Studentship in ungulate behavioural ecology

 

ASSEMBLY OF UNGULATE COMMUNITIES AS AN OUTCOME OF INTERSPECIFIC INTERACTIONS OVER ECOLOGICAL AND EVOLUTIONARY TIMEFRAMES

 

BACKGROUND: When species go locally extinct, it often has wider repercussions at the community level due interspecific interactions. Recent advances in multi-species distribution modelling present exciting opportunities to pinpoint patterns in interspecific competition and facilitation within ecological guilds. A deeper understanding of the principles underpinning these interactions can in turn be obtained by using the comparative approach to identify cases of convergent evolution between species and the sequence of evolutionary events. Ungulates are a particularly well-suited model system for statistical analysis because of their species richness and ecological and morphological diversity.

 

OBJECTIVES: You will take a macroecological approach to investigate the ecological and evolutionary drivers shaping the structure of ungulate communities world-wide. You will analyse data on species distributions, ecological and morphological traits, human land-use and phylogenetic history using Joint Species Distribution Modelling (JSDM) and cutting-edge phylogenetic comparative methods. You will use the models to explore consequences of ongoing environmental changes, such as overexploitation and climatic shifts, and thereby identify concerns for biodiversity conservation and best options for threat mitigation.

 

Objective 1: Use patterns in species distributions to investigate ecological interactions between ungulate taxa

Objective 2: Use the comparative method to identify convergent evolution of ecological traits and wider evolutionary syndromes

Objective 3: Synthesise the above to form a conceptual model of the ecology and evolution of ungulate community structure

Objective 4: Forecast the impact of ongoing environmental change on community structure and function, and assess alternative management options

 

SUPERVISORS: Dr Jakob Bro-Jørgensen (University of Liverpool), Dr Natalie Cooper (Natural History Museum)

 

APPLICATION DEADLINE: 15 January 2021 (programme starts October 2021)

 

FOR FURTHER DETAILS INCLUDING ON HOW TO APPLY: https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/assembly-of-ungulate-communities-as-an-outcome-of-interspecific-interactions-over-ecological-and-evolutionary-time-frames/?p124500

 

FUNDING INFORMATION: Funded studentship NERC ACCE DTP in Ecology and Evolution. UKRI provide the following funding for 3.5 years:

• Stipend (2020/21 UKRI rate £15,285)

• Tuition Fees at UK fee rate (2020/21 rate £4,407)

• Research support and training grant (RTSG)

Note - UKRI funding only covers UK fees (£4,407 at 2020/2021 rate). A limited number of international fee bursaries will be awarded on a competitive basis. However, if selected International and EU fee rate candidates may need to cover the remaining amount of tuition fees by securing additional funding. International fees for 2020/21 entry were £23,650 per annum

 

Ph.D Studentship available - Zebrafish behaviour and physiology

 

Intelligent Monitoring of Health in a Model Organism: Detection and Alleviation of Stress and Pain in Zebrafish

AIM: This project seeks to apply an AI monitoring tool to gauge welfare in one of the main fish models, the zebrafish and produce a robust system in partnership with industry. 

Objectives:

1. Develop the utility of the tool in assessing welfare changes in an important laboratory model, the zebrafish, when fish are exposed to acute husbandry procedures, environmental change, and potentially painful procedures compared with normal behaviour.

2. Correlate physiological function and stress indicators with behavioural responses to understand if behaviour is indicative of reduced welfare. Alongside the behavioural changes we will measure primary (plasma cortisol, changes in brain gene expression) and secondary stress indicators (lactate, glucose).

3. To inform pain management strategies, we will test a range of drugs with analgesic properties to determine the most effective drug and dose as well as using pharmacokinetics to determine the persistence of these drugs in the zebrafish tissues

4. Testing and development of the AI tool in real-life situations in laboratories in Newcastle, Liverpool and Gothenburg in collaboration with our industry partner.

Informal enquiries may be made to lead supervisor Dr Matt Leach -  Matthew.Leach@newcastle.ac.uk

Project Supervisors:

Dr Jack Thomson and Prof. Joe Spencer, University of Liverpool

Dr Lynne U. Sneddon, University of Gothenburg

To apply:

https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/intelligent-monitoring-of-health-in-a-model-organism-detection-and-alleviation-of-stress-and-pain-in-zebrafish/?p127845

Coordinateur des actions de la chaire partenariale bien-être animal(H/F)

 L’entreprise 

VetAgro Sup est un établissement public d’enseignement supérieur et de recherche sous tutelle du ministère de l’agriculture et de l’alimentation. Reconnu comme pôle d’excellence, ila pour objectif principal de former des ingénieur·es agronomes,des docteur·es vétérinaires et des inspecteur·rices de santé publique vétérinaire. Il contribue à la production de connaissances scientifiques pour le maintien et le développement de la santé globale de l’Homme, des animaux, des végétaux et de leur environnement.La chaire partenariale bien-être animal a été créée en janvier 2018 entre VetAgro Sup et la Direction Générale de l’Alimentation (DGAL). Elle associe le campus vétérinaire de VetAgro Sup, l’Ecole nationale des Services Vétérinaires (ENSV), le Bureau de la Protection Animale de la DGAL et le Centrenational de Référence pour le bien-être animal (CNR Bea).La chaire a pour objectifs de contribuer à la production et au transfert de connaissances scientifiques, à la formation et à la création d’outils de formation, à favoriser les échanges afin de sensibiliser les acteurs du bien-être animal. Pour atteindre ces objectifs, différentes actions sont mises en œuvre : actions de formations à destination de différents publics (étudiants, éleveurs, vétérinaires, ...), actions de recherche, actions de communication et valorisation (évènements, conférences, vidéo YouTube) et actions d’échanges entre les différents acteurs du bien-être animal.La personne recrutée travaillera en collaboration avec le CNR Bea dans le cadre de la coordination des actions de formation.Sous la responsabilité du responsable de la chaire bien-être, le(la) coordinateur(trice) assure l’animation et le suivi opérationnel et administratif des actions de la chaire partenariale, la communication et la valorisation des différents projets de la chaire ainsi que le lien avec les différents partenaires.Le(la) coordinateur(trice)sera aidé(e)dans ses missions par une ingénieure pédagogique numérique de la chaire.

Les missions 

-Coordonner et suivre des actions menées par les membres de la chaire bien-être animal.

-Assurer le suivi opérationnel et administratif des différentes actions.

-Contribuer au développement de la visibilité de la chaire et de ses productions. 

-Organiser les évènements de la chaire.-Participer au développement des projetset des partenariats de la chaire. 

-Apporter un appui scientifique à la chaire.

 

Activités principales 

-Assurer la coordination et le suivi de l’ensemble des actions et projets menés dans chaque domaine : organisation des réunions, planification des actions, évaluation, reporting. 

-Assurer le suivi opérationnel et administratif des différentes actions : suivi budgétaire de la chaire et des différentes actions, soutien administratif et logistique des membres de la chaire (bon de commande, ordre de mission, ...), reporting et rapports d’activité, liens avec les partenaires et le ministère (convention, ...).

-Contribuer au développement de la visibilité de la chaire et de ses productions: développer les outils de communication interne et externe de la chaire, aider à la production et valorisation des productions de la chaire, participer à la conception de supports pédagogiques de vulgarisation en lien avec l’ingénieure pédagogique numérique, réaliser des actions depromotion et de communication. 

-Organiser les évènements de la chaire :conférences, participation à des sommets professionnels, séminaires, journées portes ouvertes ... 

-Participer au développement des partenariats de la chaire : rencontre et coordination avec les partenaires, rédaction et suivi des conventions, comptes rendus des réunions, développement des projets de la chaire.

-Apporter un appui scientifique à la chaire : apporter un appui scientifique en matière de bien-être animal à la chaire en vue de faciliter le développement et/ou la réponse aux projets en cours et à venir.Compétences 

-Maîtrise des outils numériques et de communication, 

-Expérience en gestion de projets et aptitude à la coordination de travaux d’équipe,

-Maîtrise des outils administratifs,

-Compétences en communication écrite et orale..., 

-Capacités d’analyse, de synthèse, 

-Capacité d’organisation, d’adaptation et de travail en équipe, 

-Aptitude à la vulgarisation scientifique,

-Connaissances scientifiques en matière de bien-être animal. 

 

Aptitudes attendues: 

-Autonomie et proactivité,

-Capacité organisationnelle, rigueur et méthode, 

-Esprit d'analyse et de synthèse, 

-Aptitudes relationnelles et goût pour le travail en équipe,

 

Formation Diplôme souhaité: Master 2 ou équivalent, en gestion/coordination de projets ou en sciences animales ou ingénieur agronome ou vétérinaire avec une première expérience en gestion de projets. 

 

Expérience: de 2 à 5 ans + 5 ans 

 

DETAILS

 Poste basé à Marcy l’Etoile 

Contrat à Durée Déterminée de 9mois 

Quotité de travail: 100% 

Rémunération fixée en fonction de l’expérience 

Prise de poste: le 1erfévrier 2021 

 

CONTACTS

 Envoyez votre CV et lettre de motivation à:recrutement@vetagro-sup.fr

PhD position at Newcastle University: Can natural feed supplements improve stress resilience in commercial laying hens?

 

About the Project

Restaurants and food retailers, alongside animal welfare organizations and legislative bodies, are placing ever-increasing demands on food producers regarding farm animal welfare. This is in response to customer demand for ethically produced food and for improvements in quality of life (i.e. how animals feel).

Such quality of life can be improved not only by changes to housing conditions and husbandry practices, but also by increasing the stress resilience of the animals. In this project, you will investigate the effect of a commercial feed supplement on stress resilience in laying hens. The supplement is a natural product derived from botanical secondary metabolites. To investigate stress resilience in hens, you will measure both acute and chronic stress responses. Outcome measures will be both behavioural and physiological, including molecular, neurochemical, and neuroanatomical indices. You will receive training in minor animal surgery and blood sampling, as well as a variety of laboratory techniques and microscopy. You will also learn how to use DNA sequencing and associated bioinformatics to identify microbiological communities in the guts of the chickens and relate this to their stress resilience.

You will work primarily in a university setting to conduct the experiments on small groups of laying hens. However, as part of your project, you will also spend time at the Lakes Free Range Egg Co, the largest producer of free-range eggs in the UK. There you will be able to conduct field trials of the feed supplement in a realistic commercial setting. The Canadian producer of the feed supplement is also an integral part of this collaboration and has offered to host the student at their facilities in North America for a short period of time. This is an ideal project for a student interested in animal welfare and in comparative physiology and neuroscience.

Informal enquiries may be made to tom.smulders@ncl.ac.uk

HOW TO APPLY 

Applications should be made by emailing bbsrcdtp@liverpool.ac.uk with a CV and a covering letter, including whatever additional information you feel is pertinent to your application; you may wish to indicate, for example, why you are particularly interested in the selected project/s and at the selected University. Applications not meeting these criteria will be rejected. We will also require electronic copies of your degree certificates and transcripts.

In addition to the CV and covering letter, please email a completed copy of the Newcastle-Liverpool-Durham (NLD) BBSRC DTP Studentship Application Details Form (Word document) to bbsrcdtp@liverpool.ac.uk, noting the additional details that are required for your application which are listed in this form. A blank copy of this form can be found at: https://www.nld-dtp.org.uk/how-apply.

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Funding Notes

Studentships are funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) for 4 years. Funding will cover tuition fees at the UK rate only, a Research Training and Support Grant (RTSG) and stipend. We aim to support the most outstanding applicants from outside the UK and are able to offer a limited number of bursaries that will enable full studentships to be awarded to international applicants. These full studentships will only be awarded to exceptional quality candidates, due to the competitive nature of this scheme.

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References

1. (2011) Agitated honeybees exhibit pessimistic cognitive biases. Curr Biol. 21, 1070-3.
2. (2016) Mechanism for the acute effects of organophosphate pesticides on the adult 5-HT system. Chem Biol Interact. 245, 82-9.
3. (2017) The avian hippocampal formation and the stress response. Brain, Behav Evol 90, 81-91
4. (2017) Food restriction reduces neurogenesis in the avian hippocampal formation. PLoS ONE 12(12): e0189158
5. (2019) The hippocampus as an integrator of cumulative animal welfare experience. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews 101, 113-121.
6. (2019) Development of the Caecal Microbiota in Three Broiler Breeds. Frontiers in Veterinary Science 6, 20
7. (2019) Unpredictable chronic mild stress suppresses the incorporation of new neurons at the caudal pole of the chicken hippocampal formation. Scientific Reports 9, 7192 –
8. (2020 )Topical Application of Adult Caecal Contents to Eggs Transplants Spore-Forming Microbiota but Not Other Members of the Microbiota to Chicks. Applied and environmental microbiology. doi:10.1128/aem.02387-19
9. (2020) Keel bone fractures induce a depressive-like state in laying hens. Scientific Reports 10, 3007.

Offre d'emploi Animalier au LECD

 

Un poste d'animalier s'est libéré au Laboratoire Éthologie Cognition et Développement (LECD).

https://place-ep-recrute.talent-soft.com/offre-de-emploi/emploi-animalier-ere-de-laboratoire_511501.aspx 

 

Postdoc position, Germany

 

Postdoctoral researcher

Institute of Behavioural Physiology

Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), Germany

 

The successful candidate will be part of the Psychophysiology Unit, which together with the Ethology Unit is located within the Institute of Behavioral Physiology. We follow an interdisciplinary approach to investigate the biological basis of farm animal behavior with the aim of improving the health and welfare of farm animals. Central research topics include neuroendocrine influences on the social behaviour of farm animals, the reward and motivational system as well as the neuroendocrine modulation of immune competence. The institute conducts research on several farm animal species, with the pig as the primary animal model. We are searching for a candidate who is interested in establishing innovative lab methods and has the expertise to coordinate and supervise laboratory work. The candidate will also have the opportunity to develop their own research program and to contribute to ongoing research projects. Participation in the acquisition of third-party funds is expected.

 

PDF

STAGE DE M2

Cartographie des solutions permettant de réduire l’impact des éoliennes sur les oiseaux et les chiroptèresStructure d’accueilEDF R&D - Laboratoire National d’Hydraulique et Environnement - 6 Quai Watier 78401 CHATOU cedexDescriptionLes oiseaux et les chiroptères (chauves-souris) peuvent être impactés par la présence de parcs éoliens[1]. Les impacts identifiés sont la perte d’habitat, le changement de comportement en vol et la mortalité par collision [2]. Le stage visera à réaliser une étude bibliographique exhaustive pour cartographier les solutions qui permettent ou permettraient de réduire l’impact des éoliennes sur ces deux groupes d’espèces et notamment la mortalité par collision.Il faudra étendre les recherches aux solutions d’éloignement déployées dans d’autres contextes que l’éolien, par exemple l’aéronautique ou l’agriculture ou tout autre contexte pertinent. Les solutions pourront avoir différents niveaux de maturité, d’une ébauche de solution émise par le milieu académique à des solutions déjà opérationnelles. Pour chaque solution, les expérimentations réalisées devront être décrites précisément : contexte,espèces en présence, méthode d’évaluation de l’efficacité... et les limites de ces expérimentations identifiées. Une analyse critique des résultats basée sur des connaissances en biologie des espèces est demandée. L’écologie des principales espèces patrimoniales sensibles à l’éolien devra par ailleurs être détaillée. Le rapport d’étude comprendra une synthèse des solutions avec leur champ d’application (type d’ espèce et activité ciblés – chasse/migration), leur efficacité, leur coût, les acteurs les plus pertinents derrière ces solutions, les contraintes notamment règlementaires associées à leur déploiement... Enfin, des propositions d’expérimentation devront être faites pour tester sur un parc éolien les solutions qui apparaissent les plus prometteuses. Elles devront être accompagnées d’éléments de protocole pour l’implémentation des tests et l’évaluation des résultats. ModalitésDurée de 6 moisGratification de stage : OuiProfil recherchéFormation en écologie et éthologie avec des connaissances avifaune/chiroptères et un intérêt pour l’instrumentationCapacité de synthèse, esprit critique et grandes qualités rédactionnellesCandidatureEnvoyer un CV et une lettre de motivation à thierry.jouhanique@edf.frRéférences[1] Impact des éoliennes sur les oiseaux - Synthèse des connaissances actuelles, conseils et recommandations, ONCFS 2004. [2] Le parc éolien français et ses impacts sur l’avifaune. Etude des suivis de mortalité réalisés en France de 1997 à 2015, LPO 2017

Postdoc positions available: University of Minnesota Neuromodulation Research Center

 

(Note: This center uses non-human primate models to study Parkinson's disease and deep brain stimulation therapies. In turn, they're looking for researchers with extensive NHP expertise.)

We seek outstanding scientists interested in working in an NIH funded research program studying motor systems neurophysiology, the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD), mechanisms of deep brain stimulation (DBS) in preclinical animal models of PD, and new DBS approaches. These postdoc positions offer opportunities for multidisciplinary research, training in neuroengineering and neurophysiology, and career development. The projects associated with the available positions are described below. 

Basal Ganglia Cortical Coupling and Connectivity Changes in Parkinson’s Disease and Deep Brain Stimulation

This position is focused on the analysis of large-scale neuronal populations, characterization of circuit connectivity in Parkinson’s disease, optimization of directional DBS, and development of closed-loop deep brain stimulation (DBS) approaches for treatment of PD. 

Pathophysiological mechanisms underlying parkinsonian motor and non-motor (sleep) symptoms

This study aims to provide a better understanding of the brain circuitry involved in disordered sleep-wake behavior in parkinsonism and inform the development of targeted therapeutic interventions to treat motor and non-motor symptoms of PD.

Optimizing coordinated reset deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease

Coordinated reset deep brain stimulation (CR DBS) is a novel DBS approach that has the potential to treat parkinsonian motor symptoms with significantly less stimulation compared to traditional DBS. This project is to optimize critical CR parameters, compare CR DBS in different targets, and understand the mechanism underlying its therapeutic effects.

The qualifications required for these positions are:

PhD in biomedical engineering, neuroscience or related engineering/science field

Experience conducting neurophysiology experiments in the human and/or animal models

Signal processing and data analysis

Programming in MATLAB

Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work collaboratively with others

Strong record of presenting research results through publications and conference abstracts

For more information please email Wyatt Doepke (doep0013@umn.edu) with your CV.

See also: https://nmrc.umn.edu/opportunities

PhD Project: why do animals play? Unravelling the functions of play behaviour in fallow deer fawns

 

We are looking for outstanding candidates with strong expertise and interest in animal behaviour in wild animals for a fully funded PhD project on:

Why do animals play? Unravelling the functions of play behaviour in fallow deer fawns

Play is a distinct feature of juvenile behaviour in many social and solitary mammals, birds and reptiles. Yet we still have limited understanding about why it is that juveniles predominantly engage in play, and what the ultimate benefits of playing are. Because of its labile nature, play has been described generally as a behaviour that (i) is not completely functional as it does not appear to contribute to immediate survival, (ii) is spontaneous, voluntary, pleasurable, rewarding and done for its own sake, (iii) is awkward, exaggerated and involves modified patterns of adult behaviour, (iv) it involves the repetition of behavioural actions during a play bout; (v) and occurs when animals are relaxed (Burghardt 2005, 2011). 

Proposed functions of play have explored the idea that play conveys delayed benefits such as physical training, or establishing and maintaining relationships with group members with which an individual will interact with later in life. Thus, the juvenile gains an insight into its strengths and weaknesses, and those of its playmates, through rough and tumble forms of social play. Instead, locomotor play, which can occur in isolation or with play mates, is likely to help learning the actions necessary for predator escape/avoidance or establishing dominance. 

However, very few studies have systematically tested how different forms pf play change with age, environmental conditions and parental investment (but see Carter et al. 2019 for a recent example). The overarching objective of this PhD project is to test a number of key hypotheses on the function of play. Specifically, using free ranging fallow deer fawns as a model the student will test a number of hypotheses: for example, proposed functions of play such as motor training for predator avoidance, competition with rivals, self-handicapping to learn how to deal with loss of control (such as unexpected disturbance), development of social bonds with conspecifics outside of play, and the causes and consequences of decline in play frequency with age. 

The student will collect data on types of play behaviour (locomotor or social play) and the environmental conditions under which play is promoted or inhibited; will evaluate whether maternal investment in fawns, local weather conditions and contact with members of the public influence play behaviour over the first year of life. In addition, the project will examine how the size and structure of fawn social network affect the tendency to engage in play behaviour.

The study site is located at Phoenix Park, Dublin (Ireland), where a free-ranging herd of approximately 600 individually identifiable European fallow deer reside. Fawns are captured and ear-tagged with individually numbered tags each year in June. The student will assist with the tagging and contribute to the long-term data collection on body size, body condition and behavioural response of the fawn during the tagging and handling process. Unique to this project, the student will record fawn play and other behaviours from the time the fawn enters the herd and over their first year of life. The primary method of data collection will be through daily focal observations of the fawns' behaviour in order to collect data such as the type and duration of play (e.g. locomotory, social or aggressive), play frequency, fawn age at time of play, the identity of any play partners and the fawn’s wider social network.

Interested candidates are strongly encouraged to contact the lead supervisor Dr Domhnall Jennings (D.Jennings(at)qub.ac.uk) to discuss the project in more detail.

Candidate requirements:

Essential: A 1st or 2.1 class (honours) degree in psychology, biology, ecology, zoology or a related discipline. The ability to work independently and collaboratively in the field. Experience with fieldwork, data collection and the analysis of behavioural data. 

Desirable: A master’s degree in a relevant discipline with a knowledge of social network analysis approaches to studying behaviour. The project involves a large component of fieldwork and prospective students should demonstrate a commitment to spending long hours in the field collecting behavioural data, including during inclement weather conditions.

Deadline: 12th February 2020

To apply: https://www.qub.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate-research/biological-sciences-phd.html#projects

Funding Notes

Applicants for this project will be in competition for a studentship funded by the Department for the Economy (DfE). Candidates must meet UK residency and citizenship criteria in order to be considered eligible.