Description
Dr Stefano Kaburu, from the Department of Biomedical Science & Physiology of University of Wolverhampton (UK), is currently seeking applications for a 3-year full-time PhD student to investigate the physiological benefits and costs that long-tailed macaques experience in an urban environment. The project will be conducted in collaboration with Dr Nadine Ruppert, from the Universiti Sains Malaysia (Malaysia), Dr Laëtitia Maréchal from the University of Lincoln (UK), and Dr Brenda McCowan, from UC Davis (US).
The growing expansion of human populations generates increasing competition between people and wildlife over space and resources. In this context, it still remains unclear what are the economic (benefits vs costs) trade-offs animals have to face in an anthropogenic landscape, especially when they frequently interact with people. Advancements in the area of field endocrinology have allowed researchers to assess non-invasively a wide range of animals’ physiological measures, including energy balance, immune functions and physiological stress from urine and faecal samples. The goal of this project will be to assess some of these physiological measurements in order to examine the benefits animals gain and the costs they suffer when they are exposed to human activities and interact with people. Additionally, this project will investigate whether and to what extent macaques modify their behaviours in order to reduce some of these costs. The PhD project will, therefore, involve both extensive field work in Malaysia to collect behavioural data and biological samples (either urine or faeces) as well as lab work for the physiological analysis.
The ideal candidate should demonstrate interest in the field of animal behaviour and conservation. They should be mentally and physically fit and able to work outdoors for an extended period of time in a challenging environment where temperatures can be very high (higher than 30 °C). Additionally, they should be reliable, patient, enthusiastic, committed to scientific research, able to work both as part of a team and individually and they should show sensitivity and adaptability to foreign cultures. Candidates with prior field and/or lab experience will have an advantage.
Specific requirements of applicants
· A first or upper second class honours degree in biology, zoology, behavioural science, animal behaviour or a related field.
· A Master’s degree in the same or similar areas, or equivalent experience.
· For applicants whose English is not their first language, they are required to demonstrate proficiency in English at least to the level of an IELTS score of 7.0. Please note that, while applicants won’t necessarily need to have an IELTS (or equivalent) certificate at the moment of the application/interview, they will be required to submit the certificate in order to register to the PhD program at the University of Wolverhampton.
Salary/funding
This is a fully funded position with an annual salary of £15,608 + tuition fees. A limited amount of funding is also available for lab consumables and travel (for conferences and/or field work) but the PhD student will be encouraged to apply for additional funding (with Dr Kaburu’s support) to cover any additional cost.
Application
Please email your application to Dr Stefano Kaburu (s.kaburu@wlv.ac.uk) by including “PhD application” in the subject line.
Applications should include the following documentation in English as a single PDF document:
[1] A letter of interest describing your motivation for applying for this position and how you meet the criteria listed in the job description.
[2] A recent CV that includes information on education as well as relevant field and/or lab experience
[3] Contact information for two people who can provide information about your experiences, skills, and training.
The application deadline is September 5th 2021 with interviews expected to begin from September 13th 2021. The ideal start date is early October 2021.